Blue 3rd is the most recent release of French harmonica player Jean-Jacques Milteau. JJ's approach on this album is similar to the one taken on the excellent Memphis released in 2001: recorded in the states, with a mix of local musicians and some of the talented crew that normally accompanies Milteau in France. The album features 13 tracks including 8 instrumentals and, as on Memphis, not only is the backing band partially native, but four guests enhance the record with their vocals and/or instruments.
This time, it’s not in Memphis that Milteau decided to drop his harmonica case but in New York. Memphis was clearly aiming for a ‘Memphis Sound’ whereas Blue 3rd is not so much preoccupied with a context as it is with sound in general. It's a quest for a particular grain, a particular growl, the one, specifically, that we often associate with black singers. Unsurprisingly, the three vocal guests are therefore soul-blues songster Terry Callier, Nu Soul diva N’dambi and grandfather of protest hip-hop Gil Scott-Heron. The fourth guest, Howard Johnson, does not sing, but he brings with him that growling timbre of baritone sax and trombone that fits perfectly with the album’s concept.
What about JJ Milteau, you will rightly ask? Well, apart from five ‘guestless’ instrumentals, on which he plays both themes and long improvisations, he remains in line with the trend of his last few releases where he has showcased his ability to brilliantly accompany his guests without stealing the show. Some may find that relative lack of flash regrettable, but the taste and finesse displayed in his interventions more than make up for it. If your affinity is with musicality over virtuosity, you should find his approach hard to fault.
It's obvious to me that JJ has given a lot of thought to the role of the harmonica in the musical whole, it's particular sound in interaction with other instruments, etc. In other words, he’s not just playing indiscriminately: his contribution to each track is specific to its context, both in the choice of tonality, position, tuning, amplification and phrasing. I once compared this particular stande to that of Miles in the early days of cool, and although I am in no means saying that Milteau is as crucial an artist as Miles is, I think there are some similarities in concept. They both pay as much attention (if not more) to the sound of the instrument and what it contributes to a given piece as to what notes are actually being played.
Beyond the simple enjoyment of listening to the record, a harp player may find it interesting to decode the choices that Milteau makes to contribute ideally to each track and ensure that the harmonica enhances the whole rather than just be a part of it. As an example, on ‘Some Kind of Pressure’, JJ chooses a low keyed harp with draw 3 and draw 7 retuned a semi-tone down for a more minor bluesy sound. This, in combination with the sparse accompaniment and relaxed phrasing responds beautifully to Terry Callier’s warm and soulful voice. On the other hand, on the cover of Lou Donaldson’s ‘Turtle Walk’, JJ uses a high pitched harp to counterbalance Howard Johnson’s baritone sax.
All this being said, I have to admit that the album as a whole isn’t quite as cohesive as Memphis was. Blue 3rd may be the victim of excessive attention to detail and production, which seems to constrain spontaneity in a way Memphis didn’t. As a consequence, only those tracks which have a strong personality seem to shine. The end feeling is that Blue 3rd isn’t one album, it’s two very different half albums.
The first one includes the collaborations with Callier, Scott-Heron and Johnson. Sometimes it’s halfway between jazz and old-school soul, as superbly illustrated on Scott-Heron’s classic ‘Home is where the Hatred is’, sometimes it flirts with blues on Callier’s ‘Some Kind of Pressure’ or even more openly on ‘Fishing Blues’, the duet between Johnson’s tuba and Milteau’s harmonica, a marvel of freshness and spontaneity. These tracks all have that ‘sound’, that particular growl that Milteau seems to be aiming for. They also have a strong identity that may not appeal to those who are interested mainly in blues, but will satisfy those who delight in heartfelt, strong musical statements.
The second half-album includes most of Milteau’s guestless instrumentals, and the collaborations with the singer N’dambi. These tracks are not worse interpreted than the rest, but they lack personality, and the excessively clean sound of the whole makes them extremely neutral, at least to these ears. I hate to use the term easy listening lightly, because it has grown to have a very negative connotation, but I must say that’s what I feel they are when I’m listening: unadventurous, polished, excessively clean and possibly designed to please the largest number…
In addition, it's a pity that Milteau didn’t want (or couldn’t) invite a female singer with a somewhat less polished voice. N’dambi’s voice is very pretty, but it sounds like so many of that horde of female singers that haunt the charts these days on both sides of the Altantic... I will admit not to being a fan of that style of singing though, so maybe what I’m saying here isn’t exactly relevant to those who are!
Globally, Blue 3rd is still an album worth owning and listening to. In fact, some of the tracks are, in my opinion, the best that Milteau has released these last few years. That being said, there’s a bit more material in there that is unappealing to me than in most of Milteau’s other records. As usual, it might not appeal to the fans of harmonicistic acrobatics, and hard-core blues fans might not find what they seek in Blue 3rd, but if you’re open-minded musically, if you like jazzy atmospheres, talented musicians, tasteful improvisations and singers with a strong personality, there’s still a lot in this record that will please you.
Click here to purchase JJ Milteau's Blue 3rd from Amazon.com
Comments