WFHB Music - Bloomington Community Radio

Friday, November 23

CD Reviews -- Cathi 11-23-07

Brown, Clarence “Gatemouth” – “Bogaloosa Boogie Man” (Maison de Blues) A-

Another great reissue by this label…this one recorded in 1975 with a collection of great country Cajun playing by Gatemouth – first on fiddle and then with some spectacular guitar licks. His songs always carry heavy “furniture” in the storyline, and his gruff voice calls it while the fiddle sizzles. Later tracks on the disc highlight some amazing guitar playing. Gatemouth lost everything but one guitar in Katrina and died shortly afterward in 2005 from illness and shock. A great entertainer.

Dion – “Son of Skip James” (Verve) A-

Still can’t get used to it, but he keeps slamming real blues into the pocket. Dion plays with a feel that is his own so his covers of well-worn standards always have a special something. Disc is mostly acoustic with light drum support and tasty vocal presentations. He really has a nerve to attempt this naked presentation of blues, but he pulls it off with no worries. I continue to be amazed. All good for morning mix but #9 which is a talk interlude.

Estes, Sleepy John – “On the Chicago Blues Scene” (Delmark) B+

Yeow…a bunch of great players—dare I say “master” get together and play more urban blues than perhaps Sleepy John was used to. There are nuggets of greatness throughout, though Jimmy Dawkins (unfortunately) steps all over most of the players with constant guitar noodling. But the rhythm section and harp, sense of tunes, etc., are really great. A keeper. Odie Payne on drums – oh my.

Fathead – “Building Full of Blues” (Electro-Fi) B

Big horn blues band. Band is good, but I’m not a big fan of horn blues bands. Nice song change-ups and some good sax accents. Vocals okay. Probably a better band live.

Memphis Slim – “Boogie Woogie” (Maison de Blues) A+

Boogie woogie pianists are tough to come by…they can spice any gig up. Memphis Slim was one of the greatest. This disc is a showcase of his styles…All instrumental which is a shame because he was also a great singer. But the change up in beats and style really emphasize his great skill, and that mercilessly inventive/steady left hand…also tough to come by in a player. A fine disc…esp. for piano lovers. All cuts good for morning mix.

Memphis Slim & Roosevelt Sykes – “Double-Barreled Piano” (Maison de Blues) A

Memphis Slim (Peter Chatman) and Roosevelt Sykes are masters of blues piano, with Memphis arguably one of the greatest boogie-woogie players ever. Slim idolized Sykes on Beale Street in Memphis and before long Sykes mentored him. This record is a rare treat of the two of them, alternately talking about old times and blues, etc., and playing some of their tunes. It’s a primer on how two piano players can play something as “loose” as blues, yet never step on each other’s playing. Really amazing. A great, great record by two masters of piano, and some great songwriters. A real treat. Pretty ok for morning mix on top of it. Record recorded in 1970—this is a reissue/collection.

Phantom Blues Band – “Footprints” (Delta Groove) B+

Old-timers who know their stuff come out with another great blues album. Off-and-on backup band for Taj Mahal, this band features some real road dawgs, like Joe Sublett, Mike Finnigan and Denny Freeman. The music is always great. Another big horn blues band, but they put some shuffles, slide, backbeat blues and fun into tunes to put it over nicely. Could probably benefit from a dynamic front person.

Various – “Maximum Mojo” (Electro-Fi) A

An eclectic label, Electro-Fi can be relied upon to put out interesting music and this is a 2-disc collection of some of their best. Little nuggets from a wide variety of players –Snooky Pryor, Sam Myers, Billy Boy Arnold…and all up through some newer folks like Harmonica Shah. Cool collection…recommended highly.

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Tuesday, November 20

Cathi's Reviews -- 11/20/07

Bergson, Chris – “Fall Changes” (Shirts Rec.) C

This is a band modeling themselves after the horn/blues band “Chicago.” Arranged and rockish tunes with vocals very like Chicago. Not bad, but done to death...Not recommended.

Brown, Nappy – “Long Time Coming” (Blind Pig) B+

A 50’s gospel-blues singer, Nappy Brown comes back here with backing by some hot West Coast regulars, to put out a adept collection of blues songs. Jr. Watson, Sean Costello, Bob Margolin, John Nemeth, Kid Ramos, Henry Gray, etc., jump in to provide a rock solid blues base to give the old-timer a great platform from which to croon. You can hear his gospel influences and R & B delivery throughout. Good album, though vocals begin to be wavery with age. About half the 12 tunes are really fine, the others merely good.

Brozeman, Bob – “Blues Reflex” (Ruf) B

This guy tortures me. He’s innovative, interesting and even sometimes thrilling with his resonator guitar work, but then he steps all over it with some really terrible vocals. He continues to put out great discs of guitar music...all covered by terrible vocals. The whole thing is suitable for mix shows, but Dang...how about getting a vocalist to cover those breath-taking guitar licks?

Magic Slim – “The Essential MS” (Blind Pig) B+

Magic Slim is a gritty blues guitar player who plays some fine stuff when he falls into the groove. Another Chicago road warrior, he was an admirer of Magic Sam but never of that caliber when he first went to Chicago. He returned to Mississippi and then tried again in 1965, where his honed-chops and genuine feel put him over as a weekend staple. His work is uneven, but you can hear the magic on the slow ones. Pretty nice disc although raggedy...like Slim (smile)

Siegel, Ian – “Swagger” (Nugene) B

Noted as an electric blues player, Siegal to me comes off as a rock player with blues touches. He’s a fine slide player and the disc offers a pleasing variety of grooves, yet I’m not a fan of his gruff/growly singing over it.

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Saturday, November 17

Os Mutantes, Jake Shimabukuru, Youssou N'Dour

Os Mutantes
Mutantes Live
The band’s three core musicians Arnaldo Baptista, his younger brother, Sergio, and Arnaldo's childhood sweetheart, Rita Lee Jones all came from an atypically wealthy region of Sao Paulo, Brazil. They formed Os Mutantes shortly after the ousting of President Joao Goulart in 1964 and played in the band Tropicalia with Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze, Nara Leao, and Gal Costa. The electric guitar was seen as devilish by the military and it wasn’t long before they tried to silence Tropicalia and Os Mutantes and anything else seen as “pro-Communist.” In 1968 the government curtailed free speech and the next year, “Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso -- were arrested and imprisoned, and then ordered out of the country. Like these two men, the members of Os Mutantes were highly controversial, and not just among the military. According to Rita Lee, their performances were greeted by "a mix of surprise, indignation, excitement . . . and tomatoes!" I make the sonic comparison of their music to the Beatles.
comments / tracks of interest:
Disk 1:
#6: homage to Mr. Mendes and Mambo
#7: introduces musicians in beginning
#8: “Baby”
#11: wa wa guitar & other electronic influences
Disk 2:
#1: back-n-forth between sweet singing & full rock band sound
#9: feat. Devendra Banhart#10: English lyrics

Jake Shimabukuro (she-ma-BOO-koo-row)
My Life
I first saw Jake Shimabukuro and his ukulele (oo-koo-LAY-lay) shine at Lotus fest 2005 and felt struck by his spirited personality and zippy ukulele abilities. On My Life Jake has arranged his favorite songs he heard while growing up in Hawaii. Covers include ukulele arrangements of artists Sarah McLachlan, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and Cyndi Lauper.
comments / tracks of interest:
(all instrumentals moderately paced)
#1: “time after time”
#4: “somewhere…”
#6: “ice cream”

Youssou N’Dour
Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take)
N’Dour was born in Dakar in 1959 and is possibly the most famous singer alive. He is also a composer, band leader, and producer who, “absorbs the entire Senegalese musical spectrum in his work, often filtering this through the lense of genre-rock or pop music from outside of Senegalese culture.”
comments / tracks of interest:
#1: talking drum, swinging music
#4: guitar-kept rhythms
#11: cherry raps, English lyrics

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Saturday, November 10

instrumentals in international genre

Tango No. 9
here live no fish

Review: “In 1998, Clubfoot Orchestra veteran Catharine Clune dreamt of a new project—exploration into the work of Astor Piazzolla. Nine years and three albums later, Tango No. 9 has evolved into a critically acclaimed ensemble performing at milongas, festivals, concert halls, and clubs across the Western U.S..” Tango No. 9 is quite eclectic and with loose instrumentation and sometimes wild sounds they are interesting and unlike any other tango music to which I have listened. All this while maintaining traditional tango sensualities.
comments / tracks of interest:
all tracks are instrumental with the exception of #8
slow tracks:
2, 4, 6, 10, 11, & 12
#5: unconventional tango
#7: vocal accompaniment
#9: invigorating like a crisp winter walk
#13: could be an Elvis Costello song

Choro Ensemble
Nosso Tempo

Review: Choro is a Brazilian genre whose polyrhythmic musical style originated in Rio De Janeiro in the 19th century. The poor/former slaves pieced together songs from polkas, waltzes, and mazurkas with their own musical styles, before bossa nova and samba were popular. The “lilting melodic sounds” of choro music are said to be collections of music to make people cry. “Not because of sadness, but because of happiness.” The Choro Ensemble, (based in N.Y.) performs both traditional and original music with flutes, clarinet, guitar, cavaquinho, and light percussion.
comments / tracks of interest: (all instrumental)
Fast tempo:
1, 10
Medium tempo:
2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12
Slow tempo:
5, 7, 9, 11

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Saturday, November 3

ahsdfiuaoit

Putumayo Presents:

Brazilian Playground

Review: When I read that this mix was akin to a Brazilian playground, I was expecting driving rhythms and raw instrumentation…instead I heard a gentler samba side of the creatively rich and musically diverse culture, as if the intention was to calm the children. Inside, photos capture the color of carnival processions and you’ll even find a Brazilian music glossary.
comments / tracks of interest:
#2: begins w/ children’s choir. Song popular in N.E. Brazil
#3: samba w/ gentle vocals & soothing percussion
#5: hello, traditional music w/ electronic beats
#6: forro
*#7: an infectious forro song
#8: feel good rhythms
#9: samba
#12: Gilberto Gil song done acoustically

Alien Chatter
Invasion EP 1&2

Review: Alien Chatter, a L.A., California jam band who, “conveys a sophisticated blend of contemporary jazz piano, and Indian music laced with electronica. The duo consists of Satnam Ramgotra on tabla, percussion and Rodney Lee on acoustic piano, synths, and electronics. Alien Chatter is pioneering the Indo-Jazztronica movement.”
comments / tracks of interest:
you choose for yourself, this isn’t my “cup-o-tea” type of music so it all sounds the same to me.

Amir ElSaffar
Two Rivers
“Two Rivers invokes the Trigis and the Euphrates, whose floods were forces of creation and destruction in the world’s first cities.” ~ (Amir ElSaffar). Recalling the history of his homeland Iraq, his intention with this album is to convey the joy and pain held inside the heart of these memories. ElSaffar musically confronts, “the lawlessness of the land, the struggle for survival, division, and the illusion of otherness.” The sound is traditional at times, and jazzes out now and again.

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