Paul Simon Announces Homeward Bound- The Farewell Tour

While the phrase "never say never" is always applicable in these situations, it looks like Paul Simon is about to hang it up and finish touring with the announcement of Homeward Bound - The Farewell Tour.

Photo by Jessica Gilbert, Image Courtesy of Legacy Recordings

Tour dates are below and it seems Rhymin' Simon is calling it quits, who can blame him, he has lasted longer than most. Some more info:

According to Simon, the Homeward Bound tour is a fitting culmination of a performing career that began in the early 1960s and has coincided with his artistic journey as a songwriter and recording artist until the present day. 

He said of this farewell tour, “I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to reach the point where I'd consider bringing my performing career to a natural end. Now I know: it feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating and something of a relief. I love making music, my voice is still strong, and my band is a tight, extraordinary group of gifted musicians. I think about music constantly. I am very grateful for a fulfilling career and, of course, most of all to the audiences who heard something in my music that touched their hearts.”

RtBE have had the pleasure of seeing him a few times in a various incarnations, (even singing a duet with one of the sites heroes) so this is far from a sad day, but we can say if you can check him out on this tour you should as he is an artist worth seeing live and he is right; his band is always tight. 

There are no hometown NYC dates in this announcement, so it is a safe bet more dates will follow, but for now you can buy tickets this week for the dates below. We will also add a few live Simon tunes from throughout his career to get you in the mood: 

The Itinerary for Paul Simon’s Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour is as follows:

North America
DATE	CITY	VENUE	ON SALE (All Times Local)
May 16	Vancouver, BC	Rogers Arena	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
May 18	Seattle, WA	Key Arena	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
May 19	Portland,  OR	MODA Center	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
May 22	Los Angeles, CA	Hollywood Bowl	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
May 23	Los Angeles, CA	Hollywood Bowl	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
May 25	Oakland, CA	Oracle Arena	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
May 27	Las Vegas, NV	MGM Grand Garden Arena	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
May 30	Denver, CO	Fiddler's Green	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
June 1	Dallas, TX	American Airlines Arena	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
June 2	Houston, TX	Toyota Center	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
June 4	Austin, TX	Frank Erwin Center	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
June 6	Chicago, IL	United Center	Sat, Feb 10 @ 10am
June 8	St. Paul, MN	Xcel Energy Center	Sat, Feb 10 @ 10am
June 10	Detroit, MI	DTE Energy Center	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
June 12	Toronto, ON	Air Canada Centre	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 12pm
June 13	Montreal, QC	Bell Centre	Sat, Feb 10 @ 12pm
June 15	Boston, MA	TD Garden	Sat, Feb 10 @ 10am
June 16	Philadelphia, PA	Wells Fargo Center	Sat, Feb 10 @ 10am
June 19	Greensboro, NC	Greensboro Coliseum	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
June 20	Nashville, TN	Bridgestone Arena	Sat, Feb 10 @ 10am
UK & Europe
DATE	CITY	VENUE	ON SALE (All Times Local)
June 30	Stockholm, SWEDEN	Ericsson Globe	Thu, Feb 8 @ 9am
July 1	Oslo, NORWAY	Spektrum	Thu, Feb 8 @ 9am
July 3	Copenhagen, DENMARK	Royal Arena	Thu, Feb 8 @ 9am
July 5	Antwerp, BELGIUM	Sportpaleis	Thu, Feb 8 @ 10am
July 7	Amsterdam, HOLLAND	Ziggo Dome	Fri, Feb 9 @ 11am
July 10	Manchester, UK	Manchester Arena	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
July 11	Glasgow, UK	SSE Hydro	Fri, Feb. 9 @ 10am
July 13	Dublin, IRELAND*	RDS Arena	Mon, Feb 12 @ 10am
July 15	London, UK*	Hyde Park, BST Festival	On Sale Now

* With Very Special Guests James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt

Full Show Friday: Camila Cabello 8/5/17 St. Paul, MN

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Camila Cabello.

We will be honest, we love our Jazz Jan series, but reviewing the numbers each year it seems the public does not. So to recover from the low clicks, we shamelessly move to pop acts in February for RtBE's Full Show Friday features. The truth is that we do not follow the top 100 and have no idea who teenage girls (the demographic the industry directly markets to) are following so we will just go look at the numbers.

The month kicks off with the women who was number one on the Billboard 100, Camila Cabello in January and now stays in the top 3.

Having never heard of her before, this show is short and pop star sweet. It was her first solo tour apparently in support of Bruno Mars. She was a member of Fifth Harmony before her solo career and she might have some staying power as she debuted at number one with her album Camila and single "Havana". The last artist to pull off that feat? None other than Beyonce. 

That track is included here in her set. It is cellphone shot, but the sound is passable. Enjoy:

Album Review: Lil Wayne - Dedication 6

Lil Wayne

Dedication 6

**and1/2 out of *****

The sixth installment of Lil Wayne's mix-tape series Dedication comes while his fan base are still waiting for the elusive Tha Carter V to drop, something that seems more and more likely to never happen at this point.

Wayne has been through a lot, too much to really mention here, with labels, shootings, arrests, etc. however the good news is that Weezy's rhymes and flows on Dedication 6 are (for the most part) strong and prove that he still possess a ton of ridiculous word play and shit to say. All verses, few choruses, Wayne opens his mind and dumps it out on these beats of current popular songs.

When he rambles it is something to behold and it often moves into kooky places on Dedication 6, with the same areas being explored again and again (sex rhymes, drug rhymes, bathroom humor and boasts) while rarely sounding tired or rehashed. In fact he outshines every single guest he invites to join him including mega stars Drake on "Family Feud" and Niki Minaj during "5 Star", their version of "Rockstar". The best guests are Euro and Cory Gunz showing up to twist "Phone Jumpin'" into "Let Em All In" that features Wayne's least inspired verse on the mix-tape.

Overall Dedication 6 fails to these ears, not because of Wayne, but because of the sorry state of hip-hop beats. Nothing here is exciting, engaging or remotely memorable. If these are the best beats the master (all be it aging master) of the mix-tape has to currently work with, the industry has an issue.

However, Tunechi is an artist who never really needs bumping, inventive or even good beats. Wayne himself does all of the heavy lifting with these lines from "Bank Account" using a lackluster 21 Savage beat:

Wait, I just popped a Perc/ Another for dessert/ I washed it down with syrup/ I just left planet Earth/ Ran into Captain Kirk/ I pop a Perc, I'm trippy/ Call me Perc Nowitzki/ Just call her Lewinsky

or "Fly Away" his take on Kendrick Lamar's "DNA":

Shark bite to a flounder/ Bar fight to a bouncer, wait/ All Franks like Sinatra/ Face been painted, they ain't never clowned him/ Everybody rakin' cash like it's autumn/ Y'all boys sweeter than Whatchamacallit/ All y'all take a seat on this toilet

This isn't his best work by any stretch (for RtBE's money that is No Ceilings) but fans of Wayne  will take these moments of smile inducing hilarity as a step in a positive direction.

While the Free Weezy Album had the amazing "Glory" on it and very little else, Dedication 6 is a more solid listen with regards to Wayne's rhymes, but nothing comes close to that high point; in fact no song here is must listen. Unlike past mix-tape efforts, Wayne doesn't claim any of these beats as his own. It does however keep Weezy breathing and relevant until the next mix-tape, because we all know V isn't coming out in 2018 right? 
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Support the artist, download the mix tape and peep some video below:

Check Out the Historically Great Dust-to-Digital on Bandcamp

So we close Jazz January with a piece not specifically about jazz (though there is some in it) but instead highlighting an article from the site where we found a the majority of the months releases, Bandcamp. A few weeks back that site (which we love) profiled a really cool record label that RtBE had never heard of called Dust-to-Digital.

It is a label that started it's existence with a 160 tracked gospel behemoth called Goodbye, Babylon which was nominated for Best Historical Album by The Recording Academy.

The label since then has literally been all over the world, highlighting albums, genres, and artists who may otherwise have never been heard in 2018 and beyond. There are tons to highlight from the label but here are three that instantly jumped out at us after spending some time on their page:

Of course the rock and roll from Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll is a joy to these retro loving ears and Baksey Cham Krong nails it:


Greek instrumentals can be incredibly cinematic here with G. Gretis & S. Stamos getting after it on fiddle and piano for Greek Rhapsody Instrumental Music from Greece 1905-1956:


and the gospel styling of Rev. Johnny L Jones is powerful no matter your denomination on The Hurricane That Hit Atlanta:     


This is truly a great read with lots of songs mixed in to help guide you along. Many props to the author Andy Thomas, Dust-to-Digital and Bandcamp themselves for preserving these amazing pieces of history. Enjoy some more selections we found below by just scratching the surface and as always thanks for reading. 

Album Review: GrooveHub- Glasses & Hats

GrooveHub

Glasses & Hats

*** out of *****

From Slovakia comes GrooveHub, a trio who claim they are a jazz band who don't play jazz. As you can probably tell from their name, the groove is the almighty force of their work and their newest release Glass & Hats is an hour of funky breaks, jazz meditations and hip shaking instrumental excursions.

The three talented players are Ľubomír Šramo on keyboards Radovan Vallach on drums and Adam Hudec on bass. Sramo leads the attack but on these long songs each artist gets a chance to shine brightly. Opener (after a brief English intro) "Scatter" has a good time electro vibe flowing through it as bright sounds paint the way forward. The title track is four short songs jammed into one and could fit into a host of cinematic visuals, mixing musical styles and sounds easily.

The bass is the focal point on "Adam's Gone Soulsearching" with it's relaxed smooth jazz ways while it also slaps it's way to the forefront on "Kindergarten Extreme" laying the foundation for fresh funky workouts. "Coffee Emergency" lets the 80's sounding keyboards take over while "Rado's Homework" is a drum showcase with Latin flair.

The most surprising track is the seven plus "The Spirit Never Leaves" which injects a reserved organic sound into the mix with soft brush playing and very soothing piano work, a bit unexpected after all of the late night jams that precede it. The whole second half of Glasses & Hats falls into a more conventional acoustic jazz groove with tracks like the upbeat closer "Still On The Right Way".

The trio clearly likes playing with more wires and electronic sound though and that does have some draw backs as the keyboards in particular can come off as thing at times. "Nanometer" is an intriguing combo of organic and electric playing that incorporates ominous overtones and powerful drumming, perhaps a vein the band will delve into more.

The group aren't as loose as jamband players but flirts near enough that territory and fans of more experimental and long instrumental sounds will clearly enjoy GrooveHub whose talents are instantly noticeable and more dynamic then some of those more rock focused players. These Slovakians deliver the promised groove on Glasses & Hats even if they are the jazz band they claim not to be.  
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Another fun bandcamp find, support the artists, buy the album  stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:

Album Review: Ralph Stanley- Live At The Bottom Line

Ralph Stanley 

Live at The Bottom Line

***and1/2 out of *****

Ralph Stanley is a bluegrass/country/folk legend and in 2002 he embarked on the “Down from the Mountain Tour” with Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Ricky Skaggs, and Del McCoury. This all-time collection of Americana artists made for a formidable lineup and all were reaping the rewards from the genre’s exposure in the acclaimed O Brother Where Art Thou?

While his tour mates are phenomenal in their own right, the Doctor Ralph Stanley is the old timer head of the class and this set captured from the June 12th stop at New York City’s legendary Bottom Line is a prime example of his talents later in his life. Opening a cappella with his Grammy winning cover of the old standard “O Death” Stanley has the crowd enraptured from his first notes.

Stanley’s voice is the clear focal point here, but on this night he was supported by a stellar bluegrass backing band. Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Mike Compton on mandolin, James Allen Shelton on guitar, and Dennis Crouch on bass support the Doctor with grace and most importantly know when to back out and let the legend lead. Stanley mentions that the songs he is singing on this night are 200-400 years old and he is continuing the tradition, tracks like “Girl from the Greenbriar Shore” might be ancient but it still rings true and sounds delightful in the hands of these players.

Stanley blends bluegrass, country, folk and gospel into his old timey style with ease. His focus on the holy is evident on “Lift Him Up” and the especially sparse and soulful “I’ll Remember You Love, In My Prayers”. The band kicks up for the rambunctious fiddle blazing “Wild Bill Jones” and the mandolin led horror story of “Pretty Polly” which Stanley mentions he recorded back in 1948. While all of these songs are timeless, the encore plays to his strengths and enjoyment of the audience with a whooping version of “Man of Constant Sorrow” and the crowd participation of “Amazing Grace”.

The show is a gem and a great way to hear Stanley riding towards the highest points in his even with a career of over 50 years behind him. Special attention should be giving to the Bottom Line Archive series which perfectly captures the music and singing on this night and is a can’t miss for any release as the quality is top notch.
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Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

Misfits Reunion Comes Home to New Jersey

Having reunited for Riot Fest, the Misfits of Glen Danzig, Jerry Only and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein along with the amazing Dave Lombardo will be playing their home state of NJ in May.

The lineup is killer as Suicidal Tendencies and Murphy's Law will be opening the show at the Prudential Center on 5/19. There are pre-sales all week so grab your tickets early as this is sure to sell out (no other area shows have been announced). The on sale public date is 2/2 so mark groundhogs day as well.

To prep for that punk as fuck spring Saturday here are a few of RtBE's favorite tunes from all three bands.   

Dylan Cover #310 Siamese Jazz Club "I Shall Be Released" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Siamese Jazz Club playing "I Shall Be Released"

Jazzy January has invade Mondays! All this month we will check out various artists covering Dylan in a Jazz vibe, can you dig it daddy-o? 

Thoughts on Cover:

From the first time we tackled a cover of this song:
"I Shall Be Released" has been covered by too many artists to count and with reason; it is a masterpiece.  A simple song that will forever be etched in Rock Legend as it ended perhaps the best concert in recent pop music The Last Waltz. The Band are always connected to the tune as Dylan wrote it during those amazing days playing with the group up at Big Pink in the Catskills and the group released it on their first album. Gospel in nature the song is about salvation that can be certain, and each listener (and performer) can add their own personal feelings into the sketch, perfect for covering, especially live.   

Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist: 

This is the first we are finding out about the Siamese Jazz Club who have since changed their name to Siamese Sound Club. The group also now plays as a trio and are based in Asheville. 

Thoughts on Cover:
A mix of gospel, Jazz singing and folksie playing moves us from Jazzy January covers back towards our normal focus next month. A strong vocal, if a touch overdone, but the song demands drama and Siamese Jazz Club delivers.   

Full Show Friday: Kamasi Washington's 'The Epic' in Concert

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...

Kamasi Washington!

It's Jazzy January again here at RtBE, so get ready to kick off 2018 with some different styled shows every Friday. For this series we skew into new (or more recent) jazz lands. Keeping it current proves there is amazing live jazz still being performed no matter what Ken Burns says.

This week we are going with one of the men who brought jazz back into the cool zone as Kamasi Washington performs The Epic live in downtown LA in 2015. While there is no doubt Kamasi has brought the spotlight back around for "in the know" music fans back towards Jazz, RtBE's personal taste leans more towards his contemporary who we showcased last week. Washington is damn good though and for fans of adventurous music who are hesitant to jump into jazz this is great place to try it out.

This is Jazz Night in America on NPR so you get an introduction and some amazing background. Needless to say, Pro Shot, Pro Sound, with setlist and players below. Enjoy:

Jazz Night In America features Kamasi Washington and the music of The Epic at its release party, and in its full glory. From the Regent Theater in Downtown L.A., Washington presents his new album with his working band, a choir, a string section and plenty of special guests.

SETLIST 5:45 - "Askim" 27:25 - "Change of the Guard" 47:00 - "Leroy and Lanisha" 1:02:01 - "Henrietta Our Hero" 1:15:10 - "Re Run" 1:44:00 - "The Message" 

MUSICIANS Kamasi Washington, Tony Austin, Ronald Bruner, Stephen Bruner, Brandon Coleman, Cameron Graves, Miles Mosley, Ryan Porter, Patrice Quinn, Battlecat, Munyungo Jackson, The Gaslamp Killer, Terrace Martin, Leon Mobley, Ras G, Dwight Trible, Rickey Washington, Dontae Winslow, Miguel Atwood:Ferguson, Paul Cartwright, Yvette Devereauz, Atryom Manukyan, Ginger Murphy, Tylana Renga, Molly Rogers, Jim Simone, Andrea Witt, Nia Andrews, Trenyce Cobbins, Thalma de Freitas, Taylor Graves, Charles Jones, Dawn Norsleet, Steven Wayne, Mashica Winslow

Album Review: Max Abrams - The Big Bash! EP

Max Abrams

The Big Bash! EP

*** out of *****

The Nashville based saxophonist Max Abrams has released an EP of swinging tunes with the help of his band and B3 player Red Young. Maybe it is best to let Abrams explain it himself:

Recently, my friend and favorite B3 player in the world, Red Young, called to say he was passing through Nashville on his way home to Austin, Texas. He was heading home from a gig in Canada and needed a place to stop and catch his breath. I said “Red, you’re not coming through my town without making a record with me.” Thankfully, he obliged. We made a little EP to celebrate the chance to make music together. Hope ya dig it. See you down the road!

Dig it we do. A fresh and funk move through some jazzy tunes that feel alive. Opening with "The Dirty Boogie" the whole outfit comes alive moving with class and precision. On "Be Doop Bop" Young takes over and moves things along on his organic organ, sounding warm with tones as solos come and go but that sweet B3 sound stays moving until all the players lock in to close with force, a disk highlight.

"Lucy and Desi" plays to the title characters with smirks and a Latin groove, while "Something About Texas" cools things out as a showcase for Abrams confident and restrained phrasing pairing him excellent with his friend Young. The EP closing "Red's Run" is just that, a grooving hip tune that would fit perfectly in a Pink Panther movie or a late night cellar jam session. Percussive changes mix things up while both friends let the groove take them away.

A short exploration, thrown together last minute that shines on every song. Perhaps in the future there will be more from this pairing of sounds, but as it stands, The Big Bash! is a winning slice of smooth swinging jazz to start off 2018.   
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Support the artist, buy the album or stream it below and on bandcamp.

Album Review: Rob J Kennedy - 1950's Sci Fi Suite

Rob J Kennedy

1950's Sci Fi Suite

** out of *****

A few months ago I heard the song "Telstar" by The Tornadoes for the first time. One of the reasons I review music all over the map is because there is so much amazing stuff out there that I never knew about, such as a genre known as Space Age Pop. Needless to say I went youtube diving and found a bunch of cool tunes, so when Robert J Kennedy's 1950's Sci Fi Suite came onto our bandcamp radar earlier in Jazzy January we knew we wanted to cover it.

Kennedy is a an Australian composer who has dreams of becoming a "movie music composer" and posts prolifically on bandcamp. The majority of these tunes are synth keyboard based but with lots of flourishes. The album does exactly what it sets out to do, pay homage to 1950's Sci Fi Films, if not that energetically; no big rocket chase or laser climax here, just drifting mellow sounds, rising and falling.

Using strings, sounds and metallic bleeps and bloops the mood is set for each song. "A Woman? Are You Serious?" vacillates back and fourth while "I Had My Molecules Rearranged" just floats through the cosmos propelled by a light flute. The swelling and vibraphone work of "The Mad Scientists Brain Ticks Over" is a fun ride, but feels more contemporary worldly than retro 50's gazing.

Things are a too much one note though as "The Brain That Slowly Ate The World" is dull and never lives up to it's title hype while "The Creeping Unknown" offers pleasant flute, but it is a path Kennedy has shown us a few times already. A bit more variety around the genre would have been appreciated as some of those early Sci Fi Films had a sense of humor about them that isn't represented here.

Not being very knowledgeable of 50's Sci Fi movies (outside those featured on MST3K that is) the titles could mean something, thus the songs may match up to black and white scenes, which would be cool, but not necessary to the listening experience.  The album could work as a score, background music, or a mellow headphone trip out to the stars, whatever is your pleasure.
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Support the artist, buy the album on bandcamp or stream it below:

Album Review: Clap Stomp Swingin' - Swing Arcade

Clap Stomp Swingin'

Swing Arcade

*** out of *****

The upbeat retro sound of Clap Stomp Swingin' proves that jazz knows no cultural bounds. With Swing Arcade the group take melody's and rhythms right out of 1930's New Orleans and infuses Japaneses singing that brings sunshine to the ears; even without understanding the meaning behind the lyrics, these sounds are joyful.

The four piece from Osaka are Ryosuke Takada(Guitar) Takuro Yamashita (Clarinet,Vocal) Ryohei Kishimoto (Piano) Ichiro Saito (Bass), keeping the sounds acoustic and light. This throwback swing jazz starts with "When The Band Go Marching In" but stays away from the traditional melody and injects some great harmonization with it's bright vocals. The title track comes next and is a breezy jaunt highlighted by the Yamashita's clarinet.

"Bravo Circus!" is an odd one which starts out ominous and dark, then goes almost into cartoon/anime land silliness before dipping into melancholy; this force feeding of emotional sounds is jarring. Speaking of jarring, the fuzz guitar and pedal effects on the over long "Sing Sing Sing" (while interesting) are completely out of place on this record, it is amazing the group chose to add it here instead of saving it for a future release that focuses more on experimental playing. Those tracks, along with the mellow piano focused "Nostalgia" are weaker points but things improve with the outfits take on the classic (and West Ham United theme) "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles". 

The quartet work best staying staying weightless and floating from tune to tune. Other bright spots are the fantastic acoustic slide guitar blues on "Kmoichi De Swing" and the bass led album closer "When I Grow To Old To Dream" which finds Yamashita singing admirably in English. Each of the players get to flex their virtuoso playing on the popping "Tiger Rag" which not only acts a showcase for the groups talents, but also is an album high point.

Clap Stomp Swing have clearly inhaled the acoustic jazz virus and expel it in glorious fashion on Swing Arcade; easily the most fun album we have covered this Jazz January it will bring an immediate smile to your face.
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Support the artists, buy the album and stream it on bandcamp or below:

2017 Recap: Favorite Albums, Shows etc.

With all the hectic happenings at the end of the year, things can be missed. This is just a catch up post to point out a few of our favorite things from 2017 that shouldn't go unnoticed. There were many strong releases, great live shows, amazing musical moments....2018 has a lot to live up to.

 In case you missed it here are our Best of 2017 series of posts...

Our picks for best album art of 2017, where we check out some creative album art from the last year.

Our picks for best live show of 2017, what an amazing year for live tunes...all of these were jaw dropping nights in their own ways.

Finally our three part series for albums of the year. Part one our just misses and letdowns, part two our picks for 10-5, part three our top 5, picks for best albums of 2017.  Again all of these are fantastic and worth your time and attention.

Feel free to let us know your choices in the comments and thanks as always for reading and exploring...as the patron saint of this site stated:

What are those of the known, but to ascend and enter the Unknown? 

Album Review: The Clunk Orchestra - The Sound It Makes

The Clunk Orchestra

The Sound It Makes

*** out of *****

The Melbourne Australia based outfit The Clunk Orchestra release their debut, The Sound It Makes, a confident collection of instrumental tunes that swirl around the jazz rock genre.

The "orchestra" is actually a quartet on this release as the players (Ron Anderson tenor, alto, soprano saxophone, Geoff Spooner, guitar Ben Harmsen bass, Marek Podstawek drums and percussion) who lock in and ride around the sound. The opener "Painting Music" captures their spirit as it showcases horn work while maintaining a fairly straight ahead rock progression while "Andrea Dorian" is led by the deep bass line and augmented by ripe electric guitar solo.

"Chunnel" finds the group getting their funkiest with some chicken scratch guitar work and saxophones coloring the proceedings with grace. "Nearly Red" is the longest effort here and moves easily between dictated passages but never really takes off, while "The Thang" proves better with it's polished groove and wah-wah guitar work.

"Cielocha" is the most interesting track as the rhythm section (especially the percussion) is pulling in a off beat funk way while the horns and guitar are moving ahead with smooth jazz styling. This push and pull make for an engaging listen, with immersion in the off beat only a few riffs away if they were to go for it. "Never a Dull Moment" closes things with confidence, a glossy sheen covers things with just a touch of muscle and menace lurking beneath the surface.

At times The Clunk Orchestra's tunes can fade into background music and perhaps with another component (vocalist? piano/keys?) to spruce things up there could be new vistas visited, but on the whole The Sound it Makes is a pleasant, smooth ride.
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Support the artists buy the album or stream it on bandcamp and below:

2018 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Lineup

The lineup for the 2018 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was announced today!

It is a doozy! Let's let the video do the talkin' (and walkin'):


So RtBE is set to celebrate our 10th Anniversary at (for our money) the best festival in the USA. Jazzfest never fails to disappoint, even when their lineup (like the last few years) has been lackluster.

No worries this year as that picture above and video make perfectly clear, this year is stacked. We got a few right with our predictions and are are happy for a few others that we didn't. Also the day break down is excellent, we can't wait for the closing day chock full of RtBE Personal Favorites.

We will be down the second weekend, so until then, let's give a few videos of some of the great people we will be getting to see in 2018:








oh and our total crush is headlining Sunday:

Album Review: Brenda Layne - Torch

Brenda Layne

Torch

**and1/2 out of *****

Brenda Layne from Cliffside, North Carolina put out this smokey collection of tunes aptly titled Torch. These six tracks focus on Layne's fluttering voice, piano runs, and a rich bass that pushes things forward.

"Kindred Spirits" starts things off with conventional late night smoothness as Layne puts on a femme fatale air as her voice flutters to end and piano breaks only serve to focus back on the voice. The second track "Breakthrough To The Temprate Zone" is where things start to get interesting, lyrically this track pushes, but clearly not all the way, and stutters and starts musically. It is a weird listen that seeks to expand on the torch song tradition, not wildly successful but intriguing. 

"Lucky Charm" finds Layne in her most seductive mood and warmest voice. While her register isn't wide, she sings confidently, and never better than on this track which also mixes and matches tempo breaks from standard to a hip hop beat at one point before fading out too soon.

The piano ballad "Solo Act" is smooth and shines with an excellent jazz guitar outro and some scatting while "Stone Alone" confidently moves between loneliness and sweetness with ease before the standard "Stormy Weather" finds Layne closing things out professionally behind an acoustic guitar strum. 

Torch is apparently a debut for Brenda Layne and an engaging first effort. Unfortunately RtBE couldn't find out much about this release, so if readers have any info feel free to send it over and we can update the review, with songwriters, musicians and any other information.
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Support the artist, by the album on band camp or stream it below:

Happy 10th Birthday to Drive-By Truckers, Brighter Than Creation's Dark

Earlier today we wished Dr. John and Gris-Gris a Happy 50th and now we stay in the south and wish the Drive-By Truckers a Happy 10th on their acclaimed release, Brighter Than Creation's Dark.

The album was the first for DBT without Jason Isbell since their breakthrough Southern Rock Opera. It is a huge record that benefited from the band playing some acoustic based shows on the Dirt Underneath Tour which found the players augmented by Spooner Oldham on keys. The legendary Spooner stuck around for this recording and the whole record is a musical tour-de-force. 

It is a loooooong disk, nineteen tracks and all of them have a lot to say either lyrically or musically. Banjo, acoustic guitars, harmonicas and pedal steels gets more love and the tone overall is softer than the majority of their releases putting a focus on the strength of the lyrics.

Patterson Hood pens nine of them and opens with the heartbreaking story song of "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife" about Bryan Harvey and his families senseless murders and closes things with the the cinematic John Neff pedal steel laced "Monument Valley".

Like all of the Truckers efforts (at least to these ears) Mike Cooley pulls the best lines, while Shonna Tucker holds her own with three tracks. Cooley's "A Ghost to Most" is his visceral reaction to the lack of relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina and he also supplied the gorgeous title as it is a line in "Checkout Time in Vegas".

From the fuzz guitars on "3 Dimes Down" to the solemn drums on "The Home Front" to the swirling psychedelia of "That Man I Shot" to the defiant balls rock of "The Righteous Path" the group sound so locked in and confident; it is grand. 

While personal tastes finds RtBE gravitating more towards It's Great To Be Alive and for studio work Decoration Day, there is no denying what an artistic achievement Brighter Than Creation's Dark is. In fact one of our favorite writers on music Robert Christgau pegs it as the bands high-point. Check out his full review:

OK, 19 songs, gotta be filler here somewhere, and there is, only it isn't melodic--with all music credited to the band, Shonna Tucker's muzzier lyrics and Mike Cooley's more elusive ones sound as well-turned as those of Patterson Hood, who's never written better. In Hood's songs, an opening act, an alcoholic, a crankhead, a heroic suicide, a heroic survivor and two different soldiers in Iraq fall between an opener where heaven is Saturday morning with your wife and kids and a closer that contemplates "the ironic nature of history." Cooley remains the lowlife specialist, most warmly with lost party girl Lisa and hometown gay guy Bob. Some complain "Bob" is the corniest country song they ever wrote. That's the point--one of several. A

Pretty spot on and elusive...just like this fantastic release from the Truckers. Enjoy a few tracks from it below, buy the record and most importantly catch them live ASAP. 

Dylan Cover #309 Curtis Stigers "Things Have Changed" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Curtis Stigers playing "Things Have Changed"

Jazzy January has invade Mondays! All this month we will check out various artists covering Dylan in a Jazz vibe, can you dig it daddy-o? 

Thoughts on Dylan's Original: 

One of Dylan's late career highlight is this haunting tune of isolating coldness that is sprinkled with some of his coolest vocal images and smirks. You can see him wheeling a lady down the street, drinking champagne with one and doing a creaky jitterbug. It can be the lighter side of "Love Sick" or a more urban update to "Mississippi" but even taken on it's own it is a hell of a slick tune. Unfortunately it was only released on the Wonder Boys soundtrack and not an official album, which is a let down, but it did win Dylan both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.  

(Shockingly we have made it to #309 in this series and this is the first time we are touching on this great tune)

Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist: 

The Saxophonist/Vocalist Curtis Stigers has played with a host of pop stars and has moved into the pop realm covering tunes with a Jazz twist focusing more on his vocals. 

Thoughts on Cover:

This is a light Jazz cover of a great song. We could have gone for more sax on this version and less easy crooning. A great song but a limp, watered down, adult contemporary cover.

Happy 50th Birthday to Gris-Gris and Dr. John

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of one of the all time great albums and the birth of a rock and roll icon. January 22nd 1968 Gris Gris was released and the world was introduced, for the first time to Dr. John.

While the world may have heard some music from session musician Mac Rebennack. they had never experienced anything from Dr. John, The Night Tripper. Mac (who was 27 at the time) was inspired by his sister to create this character tying him into New Orleans voodoo lore while he was stuck in LA, and the rest is rock and roll hall of fame history.

Seven years ago we went deep on the album for NYPL so we are not going to rehash those thoughts, we just want to take a moment to celebrate the man and his music, which was lively from the jump.

Today it is especially cosmic because tomorrow the best festival in the country, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival announces its lineup for 2018 and we hope to catch the good doctor yet again down south.

Until then enjoy some tunes from one of the coolest, oddest, and transportive debut albums of all time:




And the grand finale with help from Duane Allman: