Originally issued on a small Belgian label in the mid 1980’s this reissued album is a nicely swinging disc of harmonica led blues that deserves a second life. Kashmar sings and plays harmonica, backed by Jon Lawton and Bill Flores on guitars, Jim Calire on piano and organ, Jack Kennedy on bass, and Tom Lackner on drums. After coming out of the west coast blues scene, this album broke Kashmar through and allowed for touring and recording opportunities to follow. Kasmar has a big sweeping harmonica sound and smoky full bodied voice that brings the music a certain emotional depth. “As Long As I Have You” is taken at a nice mid-tempo with the band setting a invigorating shuffle pace and Kashmar wringing a lot of emotional mileage from his singing. Harmonica interludes are patient and thoughtfully done, integrated well into the music and are classy, not flashy. “100 Miles To Go” is a nice uptempo shuffle that explores standard blues themes of love and life on the road. Lawton and Flores trade guitar sparks that keep the pace moving along nicely. The late harmonica wizard William Clarke sat in on the instrumental “Horn of Plenty,” trading solo spots with Kashmar and making for nice laid back jazzy feel. “Lip Service” is another harmonica based instrumental, taken at a very fast pace, it is a fine display of Kashmar’s ability on the instrument. Horns are added to fill out the sound on “Gonna Find Somebody New” and their riffing behind the music adds a nice dimension to the song. A couple of bonus tracks are added on to the original album, notably “The Petroleum Blues,” a recent “blues and the news” song that deals nicely with the environmental degradation caused by humanity’s insatiable desire for oil and gas. This is a very solid and well done blues album. The musicians are patient and let the grooves come to them and play with a great deal of class. Kashmar is a fine singer and harp player and deserves wider attention. 100 Miles To Go – amazon.com
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Jazz musicians have been incorporating elements of rock and roll for many decades now, but this must stand as one of the more audacious meetings of the two musics. Puttin’ on the Ritz was originally a duet project with vocalist B.J. Rubin and drummer Kevin Shea which in this case has been expanded with some Hot Cup records regulars and friends: Moppa Elliott on bass, Jon Irabagon on saxophone, Sam Kulik on trombone, Nate Wooley on trumpet and Matt Mottel on keyboards. Covering the entirety of the Velvet Underground’s famous White Light/White Heat
album and converting it from avant-garde rock to avant-garde jazz is a tall order and the results are mixed, but they sure have a blast trying. Opening with the title track, things start off well as the structure of the song lends itself well to the instrumentalists turbo-charged riffing and Rubin chants out the lyrics with admirable gusto. The deadpan spoken word piece “The Gift” loses a little bit in the translation. Basically an tale of obsession set to music, Rubin drones the story in a monotone with with horns smearing and sprawling around him. “Lady Godiva’s Operation” has Rubin crooning in a falsetto like John Cale on the original LP with quick interjections from other members of the group. “I Heard Her Call My Name” eschews the blistering guitar solo of the original version for an interesting arrangement with call and response vocals. It all culminates in the infamous side-long track “Sister Ray,” the tale of drugs and debauchery that shocked listeners upon the original albums release. If it doesn’t carry the same shock value forty plus years later, its still very edgy stuff, and works pretty well in this setting. The long running time allows the instrumentalists to be let off of the leash a little bit, with the horns growling and swaying and Mottel adding nice swaths of organ. Even though this album wasn’t a complete success, you certainly have to give the group points for their fearlessness. Hot Cup may be the most interesting label in jazz right now, and the main reason is the risk taking that allows projects like this to flourish. White Light/White Heat – amazon.com
Elicohen Christellgo Pentury yang akrab disapa Igo akhirnya menjadi juara Indonesian Idol musim keenam. Igo berhak menyandang predikat Superstar setelah mengalahkan 13 pesaing lainnya yang cukup berat. Daniel mengumumkan kemenangan yang tipis yang diperoleh Igo atas Citra melalui voting SMS. Pada babak Workshop sebelumnya, Igo hanyalah dianggap sebagai kuda hitam. Nama-nama seperti Tesa, Dea, dan Mona justru lebih banyak difavoritkan mampu memenangi ajang pencarian bakat tersebar di Indonesia ini. Bahkan Windra yang bergenre melayu dengan latar belakangnya sebagai pengamen dianggap dapat menarik hati masyarakat Indonesia. Memasuki babak Spektakuler, lambat laun Igo mulai mempertunjukkan penampilannya yang semakin baik. Menurut Agnes Monica dan Erwin Gutawa, Igo merupakan kontestan yang mengalami perkembangan cukup pesat dan mampu memenuhi ekspektasi juri menjadi seorang Superstar. Artis-artis seperti Nidji, Ahmad Dhani, Pepep ST12, Afgan, Dirly Idol, dan Wilson Idol sudah memprediksi bahwa Igo mampu memenangi persaingan meraih predikat Superstar. Igo dinilai pas dengan karakter suaranya pop-rocknya yang serak-serak basah, postur tubuhnya yang sesuai, wajahnya yang menawan, dan tentunya penampilannya diatas panggung yang Spektakuler membawakan berbagai macam lagu dengan karakternya. Selain disandingkan namanya dengan juara idol musim-musim sebelumnya seperti Delon, Mike, Ihsan, Rini, dan Aris, Igo juga berhak mendapatkan KIA New Pride sebagai hadiah sang juara. Runner-upnya, Citra pun mendapatkan mobil KIA Picanto. Serta 12 finalis lainnya masing-masing mendapatkan 1 unit Motor Honda Vario. Igo pun memimpin 13 finalis lainnya menjelajahi belantika musik Indonesia.
The great Texas bluesman Lightnin’ Hopkins had an amazing life and career, recently chronicled in the new book Lightnin’ Hopkins: His Life and Blues
by Alan Govenar. This well thought out two-disc collection is a soundtrack and tie-in product to that book, tracking songs of Hopkins’ career during the prime of his life, 1947-1969. This is an excellent place for those new to or curious about Hopkins to begin their exploration of his music. He had one of the largest discographies among blues musicians and was supposedly willing to record anytime for cash money up front. Listing to this collection we follow Hopkins’ music in chronological order, and it is fascinating to see how he would adjust his music to the time and place, yet still remain true to his own unique style. Hopkins early sides for the Aladdin label paired him with pianist “Thunder” Smith and also featured him solo, recording some of his famous early songs like the slow and moody “Katie Mae Blues” and the jumping “Let Me Play With Your Poodle.” As the times changes, Hopkins changed with them, developing a unique electric guitar style for some excellent small combo recordings in the mid-1950’s for the Herald label, culminating in the blistering instrumental “Hopkins Sky Hop.” As the 1960’s dawned, Hopkins evolved with time times yet again, setting aside the electric guitar and playing in a solo acoustic format for the coffee houses and festivals of the blues revival. With his quick mind and nimble fingers, Hopkins was the master of spontaneous songwriting – spinning out songs and tales at will. He could compose songs as haunting “Tim Moore’s Farm” which describes the terrible conditions black sharecroppers had to endure, to the flighty and fun “Up On Telegraph Avenue” where he talks about checking out hippie women in San Francisco. This was a well done collection and great addition to the book, which does its best to flesh out the Hopkins story. The liner notes present a detailed timeline of Hopkins’ life and career as well as some nice photos. Fans of classic blues and those curious about the blues will find a nice place to start with this excellent career spanning package. amazon.com
Tenor saxophonist Ken Fowser and vibraphonist Ben Gillece have been playing jazz together since they were growing up in Philadelphia. Now based in New York City, the co-leaders are joined on this album by Rick Germanson on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass and Quincy Davis on drums. The result is a classy album of mainstream jazz with a bit of a Bags & Trane
vibe, with bright sounding boppish saxophone and light, nimble vibes leading the way. The opening “Resolutions” sets the tone for the remainder of the album, establishing a medium tempo-ed swinging groove, and setting the stage for a series of short round robin solos. “Sap” shows the band playing in an uptempo and probing nature, spinning off a swinging vibraphone solo and a well controlled saxophone solo. “The Dog Days” slows the proceedings down to a ballad tempo, featuring spare and open light sounding vibes, and a slow and languid saxophone solo reflecting the lazy grandeur of the title. “One Step at a Time” has a sharp and classy aura centering on some deeply swinging saxophone that spirals out at length on a fine statement. While all of the tracks on the album proper are originals, a bonus track included in the eMusic download is a real treat, the standard “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square” taken as a slow and tender ballad with Fowser building a patient and thoughtful solo that really tells a story and makes the melodic nature of their improvisation stand out. This was a solidly swinging album of mainstream jazz from some promising young musicians. On the whole it is classy and well performed and recommended to mainstream jazz fans. Little Echo – amazon.com
A collective group that plays the music of the late saxophonist and composer Steve Lacy, Ideal Bread consists of Josh Sinton on baritone saxophone, Kirk Knuffke on trumpet, Reuben Radding on bass and Tomas Fujiwara on drums. The music is quite melodic and accessible, and the performances are at a very high level. “As Usual” develops from a low medium tempo into a multi-horn exercise, building the melody before venturing into open space. Fujiwara’s drums roll like the tide, ebbing and flowing around the deep saxophone and trumpet. Gently riffing horns open “Flakes” before giving way to a sputtering trumpet solo. Stinton’s saxophone is mellow and probing, developing intensity in a patient and thoughtful manner, before reaching a fast and free section abetted by potent drum work. “The Dumps” features some tongue in cheek scatting with the horns smearing the sound like abstract painters working on canvas. “Longing” continues the abstract vibe, developing a low and slow opening, and containing a trumpet feature that is fractured and subtle. Radding opens “Cliches” with deep and elastic solo bass before swirling crunchy horn riffs pick up the pace. Stinson develops one of his strongest solos on the album, creating a deep and strong voice that is free and exciting. Not to be outdone, Knuffke bobs and weaves like a boxer on trumpet, and the cool rhythmic drumming of Fujiwara keeps everyone on their toes. This was an excellent performance and the highlight of the album. Light horns slowly developing with subtle bass and brushes are the centerpiece of “The Breath” with spare and spacious improvisation at the forefront. “Papa’s Midnight Hop” has nice strong riffing from the horns, weaving in and out and creating a musical fabric. Strong saxophone and trumpet solos are followed by nice full band collective improvisation. Steve Lacy’s compositional legacy was a very strong one and is ripe for rediscovery in a modern jazz scene that is casting about for inspiration. Ideal Bread moves well beyond the notion of a tribute band and develops the ideas and compositions of Lacy in their own way, creating a powerful musical statement in the process. Transmit: Vol. 2 of the Music of Steve Lacy – amazon.com
