Album Review: Charlie Hunter - Kick, Snare, Baritone Guitar

Charlie Hunter

Kick, Snare, Baritone Guitar

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

The multi-instrumentalists newest offering is a collection of immensely groovy jaunts that can be easily sampled for other offerings (particularly hip-hop) as Charlie Hunter presents Kick, Snare, Baritone Guitar.

Hunter has always excelled in these loose instrumental waters and this collection is no exception as the direct cuts deliver a base to expand on as Hunter uses the three title instruments to craft sweet sonic pastures. The opening "Root's Hobby Hut" is a chunky, strutting number with splashes of light feedback that keep the growl real before things clean up for some of his best snake like guitar work on the funky "Stop The Clock".

The blues based "Flint's" is a master class in straight ahead riffs and blues drumming while "Silver Ball Gardens" could play as a late night, upbeat, Tom Waits inspired backing track. Speaking of influences, Steve Ray Vaughn shows up in spirit for the strictly guitar based "Sneaking Into the UC Theater". The best drumming arrives with "Oscar's" marching beats while the head bobbing "Tiki Massage" and the shaking good time party track "Fat Dog's Clown Car" wrap things up on bright notes.   

The brief album is a quick run through of Hunter's easy flow and sound. These base tracks are not drawn out, layered or swollen by excess, they simply roll with ease as if Hunter just decided to record an afternoon jam session he alone was delivering. On Kick, Snare, Baritone Guitar, Charlie Hunter breaks it down to the essentials and sounds lively doing so. 

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Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

Live Streams: Colin Davis Presents Mad Dogs and Englishmen New Orleans: A Tribute to Joe Cocker & Leon Russell!

We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Colin Davis Presents Mad Dogs and Englishmen New Orleans: A Tribute to Joe Cocker & Leon Russell!

A blast of English Pop and Rock from a bygone era gets a tribute tonight down in New Orleans as the Funky Uncle Live streams this show. 

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To get in the mood here is a Mad Dogs and Englishmen tune:

Album Review: Eels - Extreme Witchcraft

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!

It is of Eels newest album Extreme Witchcraft. 

RtBE has reviewed Eels in the past and loved some and disliked some, Extreme Witchcraft is closer to the love column. 

Support the artist, buy the album, read the review and peep some video below:

Album Review: Ill Considered - Liminal Space

Ill Considered

Liminal Space

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

Perhaps the most vibrant jazz scene these days emanates out of London, England and with their first proper studio album Ill Considered add another layer to that cities sound. Liminal Space is far from the groups first addition to the scene though as the band has self-released a whopping ten live albums since 2017. 

The band has changed a little bit on this studio release scaling down to a three piece with tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist Idris Rahman, drummer Emre Ramazanoglu and bassist Liran Donin forming the core of the group. They are joined by a wide ranging set of guests who populate the London scene including baritone saxophonist Tamar Osborn, tenor saxophonists Kaidi Akinnibi and Ahnanse, tubaist Theon Cross, trumpeter Robin Hopcraft and percussionist Sarathy Korwar.

From the opening notes the outfit hold very little back and focus on the overloaded sound of late era Miles Davis (with slightly more structure), using the rhythm as the base to launch from on every tune. The sounds can be everything from inspiring, overwhelming and repetitive over the records hour plus run time. 

Opener "First Light" is an excellent album highlight that announces the players intention from the start using layers, building with frantic sax joining about half way through as pumping energy and a fantastic bass line underneath it all thrives. Tribal beats and a massive groove anchor "Sandstorm" as the horns squawk away while the more melodic "Loosed" delivers fine flute work to become more accessible to for the listener. 

"Dust" continues the early albums sense of layers, building drums and blaring horns but starts to become repetitive in the process while "Dervish is better" blaring out of the gate from the start. The more ominous and meditative "Pearls" releases the bands choke hold on groove for a more spacey effect while "The Lurch" displays the best horn work on the album. 

Both "Light Trails" and "Knuckles" dive into what Ill Considered do best which is ramp up the frantic sound with thundering rhythm supporting layers of horns which at times soars and at times feels stuck in soup with the same idea. Liminal Space ends with "Prayer" as the group strip back the chaos and focus on the percussion leading the way to wrap a heavy record which throws a lot of sounds at the listener throughout.    

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Support the artist, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:

New Single from The Shelly Jones Band "Proceed With Caution"

The Shelly Jones Band has released a new single titled "Proceed With Caution" which you can listen to below.

The husband-wife team have made a name for themselves on the Australian Country charts and hope the newest release breaks out to even a wider audience. The twangy tune has a honky-tonk strut, bright piano and smile flowing through it. 

Listen on any of your streaming sites or below:

Album Review: The Sleazeball Orchestra - Pearl River Tango

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!

It is of The Sleazeball Orchestra's sophomore release Pearl River Tango.

RtBE are friends with the band and enjoyed their debut, but without any bias can state that Pearl River Tango is a step up and a really solid release. We also interviewed bassist Stoo Odom for his solo record and enjoy catching the band live every time we are in New Orleans. 

Support the band, buy the album (it is out Friday 1/28), read the review and peep some video below:

Club d'Elf To Release Double Album 'You Never Know' and Tour Northeast

The world-dub-jazz collective Club d'Elf is releasing a double album on April 1st (hopefully not a prank) titled You Never Know.

The fluid group consists of main d'Elf Mike Rivard as well as John Medeski, Brahim Fribgane, Duke Levine and a host more. Pre-order the album on the groups bandcamp now. 

The outfit will also be playing a host of dates in the Northeast to celebrate this release.  Check out the first single "Dervish Dance" and the tour dates below:

Tour Dates: 4/1 - Woodstock, NY - Levon Helm Studios 4/2 - New York, NY - Drom 4/8 - Portland, ME - Bayside Bowl 4/9  - Providence, RI - Columbus Theater 4/10 - Portsmouth, NH - The Music Hall 4/14 - Northampton, MA - Bombyx 4/15 - Pembroke, MA - Soundcheck Studios Tickets On-Sale Here

Dylan Cover #514 Vertigo Jazz Trio "Make You Feel My Love" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a cover by Vertigo Jazz Trio of "Make You Feel My Love" 

Thoughts on Dylan Original:
From our first take on a cover of this tune:
There is something about this tune that always felt off to me, it doesn't strike me as a Dylan song (which makes it an excellent candidate for covers). Perhaps it is just too Broadway or schmaltzy but the tune never really felt like his to me. Simple and direct in it's lyrics and sparse with a piano for the tune, it should be a simple pleasure, but it always felt forced to me coming out of the bard's mouth.  The fact that he has never played it live perhaps gives some indication to his feelings on the song as well. Or maybe he just hasn't found a way to re-work it yet....
Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:
Have not heard of Vertigo Jazz Trio before this cover song. 

Thoughts on Cover:

A fairly straight ahead version of this song led by the piano and gorgeous vocals. A soothing cover for this winter Monday in NYC. Enjoy it wherever you are. 

RIP Meatloaf

Marvin Lee Aday aka Meatloaf passed away today, he was 74.

While RtBE can't support his recent Covid stances and playing politics with health, we also can't deny that Bat Out of Hell is a great album, from overblown start to overwrought finish. 

At some point we will probably expound on our love for that record, but for now, let's just enjoy some of the songs off of it. 

Full Show Friday: Andrea Motis & Joan Chamorro Quartet - NaturaJazz 2020

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...Andrea Motis & Joan Chamorro Quartet! 

It's Jazzy January again here at RtBE, so get ready to kick off 2022 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 incredibly talented Spanish jazz trumpeter and singer Andrea Motis is a joy to behold.  With Joan Chamorro and the whole quartet this performance is fantastic from just a few years ago. 

Pro Shot, pro sound. Enjoy:

 

Album Review: Nadje Noordhuis - Gullfoss

Nadje Noordhuis

Gullfoss

*** out of *****

Over the course of Gullfoss, Nadje Noordhuis and company take you on a majestic travelogue around the world as the Australia born, Brooklyn based horn player incorporates a wide range of sound into her open jazz style.

Noordhuis' was asked to assemble a group to record live in Switzerland over three nights. The group consisted of Noordhuis (trumpet, flugelhorn, electronics, compositions), Maeve Gilchrist (harp), Jesse Lewis (guitar), Ike Sturm (bass), and James Shipp (synthesizers and percussion). The live production was produced by Newvelle Records at the request of Swiss club owner Stephan Diethelm. Gullfoss was originally recorded specifically for and released on vinyl as Noordhuis wanted to create a specifc A/B side journey.

The soothing and sweet "Migration" sets the tone as the opening harp and muted trumpet work twinkles along. That sense of beauty and nature are present from the beginning of the album as we travel through Noordhuis vivid world. The more upbeat and slightly galloping "Indian Pacific" uses percussion expertly along with Gilchrists harp work while "Waratah" elegantly weeps with nuanced horn work and acoustic string strumming. 

Things hit a bit of dull patch on the albums longest effort "Silverpoint" as the first half really goes nowhere and the ending finds heavy guitars and drums entering the scene without really earning the upbeat blast. On a much better note, the B side of the record starts with the strong trumpet work of "Killarney" as the song builds in much more organic fashion with layers of harps and drums.

 

The title track sees Noordhuis writing a song about her transformative time in Iceland. Bouncing electro beats stately horns and layered harp work transcribe the overwhelming beauty the trumpeter experienced in nature. Gullfoss finds the talented trumpeter trying to capture that fleeting oneness we feel with the world in fascinating and pretty fashion.   

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Support the artist, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:

2022 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Artist Announcement

The lineup for the 2022 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has been announced. 

The lineup looks a bit scaled back from the proposed 2020 and 2021 versions of the event, but there are still gems to be found:

Hopefully Covid-19 doesn't wipeout the festival for a third year in a row and these artists get to play the best festival in America in the Spring of 2022.   

Let's all safely "Get Down On It" together in a few months at the Fairgrounds:

Album Review: The Magnolia Beacon - The Tim Robbins Sessions

The Magnolia Beacon

The Tim Robbins Sessions

*** out of *****

Back in 2011 Erika Lewis and Meschiya Lake were busking and singing around town in New Orleans, delivering originals, performing old jazz numbers and providing gorgeous backing vocals for Ryan Scully and the Rough Seven. 

During these halcyon times the duo, along with some supporting musicians (David Young-cello, Ian Cooke-violin, Dan Cutler-bass, Mike Voelker-percussion) laid down an acoustic session at Tim Robbins New Orleans apartment. Until late this year the session was completely forgotten but the files were then found by Young and mastered by Russell Welch for release as The Tim Robbins Sessions. 

The recording is uneven at points, but the session is an excellent capturing of Lake and Lewis powerful vocals harmonizing. The opening soaring wail of "Hey Though I Wander" sets the tone as the country strum follows the duo. The vocals are the clear highlight as all of the songs stay in a Gothic-folk vein with long running lyrics and choruses. 

The lone cover of a Luke Allen song, "Nativity" is about cocaine mistresses and judgement day while the haunting "Demons are Bold" dances on the air. The violin and cello work really stand out for "Terrible Trembles" while the upbeat strums add a gypsy curse on top of "That Same Cold Wind". The forlorn "In Your Eyes" end with a cop siren wailing just out of scene in a fun found sound way while the record wraps up with "High Topped Mountain" as Lewis and Lake sing about secrets you'll never know.

This timeless ghost-folk style runs throughout The Tim Robins Sessions as Lake and Lewis (The Magnolia Beacon) deliver eight tracks of moving vocals, haunting tales and acoustic majesty. An excellent resurrection of a lost session and cool check in on some of New Orleans great present day vocalists. 

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Support the artists, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:

Nola Jazzfest 2022 Artist Predections

 So... we did this back in early 2020, and got a bunch right...then Jazzfest was canceled. Then tried again for a special October 2021 edition of Jazzfest and that was canceled as well...third times a charm for 2022? 

The lineup for the 2022 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will be announced tomorrow but RtBE got the early scoop...

Actually no we don't...but since it is fun to predict, lets look into the crystal ball and guess who will be and who should be playing.

We will exclude the brass bands and local acts (even though they are truly the main reason we go each year) including nationally touring NOLA acts like Irma Thomas, Kermit Ruffins, Funky Big Sam,  Galactic, Trombone Shorty who will all definitely be there.

Also we are obviously skipping the great jazz, blues and gospel acts who will be the foundation of the festival in their respective tents. Lets just talk about the bigger national touring artists for now....We will focus more on locals closer to the show. 

To get in the southern festive NOLA mood, here is a great video done by Jeronimo Acero that my friend the fantastic Lu Brow sent north to warm me up during the winter.

a glimpse of LOUISIANA from Jeronimo Acero on Vimeo.

Now on to the predictions....

Charlie Gabriel's First Solo Album, 89, To Be Released in 2022

You are really never too old to release your first solo album as Charlie Gabriel has proved with the announcement of 89. File it under the "odd-but-cool" section that Seattle indie rock label Sub-Pop has partnered with the long time member of the legendary New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band to make this happen.

RtBE will be eagerly awaiting this album and covering it for Glide when it is released digitally at the end of February. It will be released in physical formats later in the summer, you can pre-order now. 

Here is the first single from the album, "I'm Confessing":

Album Review: Abdullah Ibrahim - Solotude

Abdullah Ibrahim

Solotude

**** out of *****

Artists have their favorite venues to play. David Byrne has lauded CBGB's sound, The Allman Brothers helped play the Beacon Theaters rent for decades and even small bands like Dogleg have a favorite (the Majestic Theater in Detroit). It would stand to reason that one of the great jazz pianists would have a favorite venue as well and Abdullah Ibrahim does, Hirzinger Hall, in Riedering, South East Germany.

Each year the famed South African pianist plays a special show at the venue on his birthday. Due to the pandemic that was not possible, so instead he brought a minimal recording team into the hall and he managed to record this special solo performance. Ibrahim delivers this live album in front of empty seat as he plays beautifully throughout for no one and everyone. 

The intimate affair flows from the first notes and is meant to be taken as a whole with no pauses as the pianist just goes from one tune to the next, crafting a sense of ease and languid flowing. The opening "Mindiff" feels searching, before the contemplative "Trieste My Love" while "Nisa" is just cool as all hell. The album rolls out and there is little song division, but even then, a few stand out. 

"Blue Bolero" is meditative and pops up a few times in the set, "In-Tempo" pulls off a neat trick of feeling like chaotic free jazz while still saying true to the relaxed vibe. The ominously funky "District 6" is a gas while the sparse and gorgeous "Sotho Blue" just may be the albums high point.  

The end of the album slows it down a bit much with "Once Upon A Midnight" which has a late night 50's vibe and "The Wedding" which feels a bit drowsy but at this point things are already well in hand. The amazing acoustics inspire Ibrahim to return every year to Hirzinger Hall, now fans don't have to wait that long and can check out Solotude anytime. 

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Support the artist, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:

RIP Rachel Nagy

Unfortunately Rachel Nagy, the lead singer of The Detroit Cobras has died, she was just thirty seven. 

The Cobras are a favorite of RtBE having reviewed their albums, caught them live a bunch and just plain enjoyed listening to them for years.

In memory of Nagy, play some of The Detroit Cobras music loudly tonight. 

 

Album Review: Cat Power - Covers

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!

It is of the Cat Power's newest album Covers.

A subtle collection of cover tunes that touch on a wide range of artists. 

Support the artists, buy the album, read the review and peep some video below:

The Soul Rebels Showcase Unreleased Tracks with More Motion

Back in 2019 The Soul Rebels released Poetry In Motion and now the outfit are releasing a few more songs from those sessions.

The collection is titled More Motion. From the band:

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RtBE loved the original album and ranked it in our top ten favorites of the year. Below is a tune from the band to get pumped up for the new tracks.

Happy MLK Day: March on Washington 1963

This is a tradition here at RtBE. While we are including this in our Monday Dylan series, this is a necessary break from the routine.

We here at RtBE have lots of heroes and most stem from America's hard fought bloody and disturbing past. We have talked about the godfather of this site, we will probably touch on Lincoln at some point, but the man who we celebrate today is right up there with both of them. Martin Luther King Jr. is an American who deserves to be honored right alongside the greatest our country has ever produced.

We are happy to dedicate this Monday to him. To help celebrate the day we will post Bob Dylan singing "Only A Pawn In Their Game" from the1963 March on Washington DC.



Have a great day and make sure to watch this, MLK's last prophetic public words:


It is still so incredibly moving.

The full speech is located here and worth listening to as well and you can read this amazing writing which unfortunately is still relevant today from King as well: