« November 2006 | Main | January 2007 »
I had some good feedback about the Acoustic Show, thank you all. This month's Rambling Podcast is the Groove Show and it's right here:
I'm still frustrated by the extremely low proportion of listeners who comment, so please, please, please (in the words of the Godfather of Soul) let me know what you think ! Let's start discussions on the merits of the selections, ask questions about the artists, let me know if there are things you'd like me to do differently or better. This is, afterall, the Web 2.0, it's supposed to be interactive !
Speaking of which, I've started using various search engines to promote the podcast, and I now have an Odeo Channel (odeo/c95833c1cd3a511b), we'll see if it brings in new listeners !
For more information on the philosophy behind the sources and legality thereof, I've designed a generic Rambling Podcast post. Incidentally, if you want to link towards the Rambling Podcast, it's that post you should aim for rather than individual podcasts.
Anyway, this month's show is a little longer than usual, let's say it's my contribution to the spirit of Christmas. The first two shows had a lot of jazz, blues and associated music, this month's show will be somewhat different. The theme of the show is Groove, and here's the detailed track listing (you can also find a summary listing and playing times in the attached text playlist):
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe - Freedom: I first heard Karl Denson as a guest on Gov't Mule concerts; I first saw his Tiny Universe on the 2002 Bonnaroo Festival DVD and I promptly acquired The Bridge, which features the studio version of Freedom. The version featured here is from a 2003 live record available legally and for free on the Live Music Archive. All you have to do is click here.
Charlie Hunter Quintet - Oakland: Oakland is from Charlie Hunter's Right Now Move, featuring chromatic harmonica player Grégoire Maret. Charlie Hunter plays a custom-made eight-string guitar, the top strings of which are bass strings. Another great record of his (with a project called Garage à Trois) is the recently released soundtrack to the movie Outre Mer. As for Grégoire Maret, his harmonica playing is also to be found on records by Cassandra Wilson and Pat Metheny, and he's part of the hip-jazz band Dapp Theory.
Jimmy Smith - 8 counts for Rita: The late Jimmy Smith was the undisputed master of the Hammond B3 Organ, and this track 8 counts for Rita is from his final studio album, the amazing Dot Com Blues, which is also a great way of discovering Smith's music and features a host of blues and jazz stars. You can't go far wrong in purchasing most any Jimmy Smith album, but for sheer groove I'd recommend the 1972 live Root Down. Most of the albums from the Blue Note period are worth hearing also.
G. Love and Special Sauce - Stepping Stone: G. Love's blend of rock, hip-hop and american roots music is unique. Stepping Stone is from his album Yeah, it's that Easy and features some of his harp-in rack playing. If you like this stuff, you could do worse than check out his first self-titled album G. Love and Special Sauce or his one but last, the excellent The Hustle. Philadelphonic is the album that features the most harmonica, also an excellent listen. This particular version of Steppin Stone is from a moving, post 9/11 gig in New York City which can be downloaded for free and legally on the Live Music Archive, and the link is here.
Saul Williams - Bloodletting: Saul Williams is a poet first and a musician second, assuming there's a difference. I'm not always so keen on the arrangements of his music albums Amethyst Rock Star and Saul Williams, but his writing and delivery are absolutely stunning throughout. Bloodletting was first released on a anti-war EP called Not in My Name which is out of print but still easy to find. Saul Williams has also released several poetry books including the epic Said the Shotgun to the Head.
Erik Truffaz - Siegfried: Erik Truffaz is a jazz trumpet player from Switzerland who made his mark by releasing an EP called The Dawn on Blue Note in the late 90s. The Dawn featured slammer Nya and became an instant hit with fans far outside the pure jazz scene. The Dawn was followed by a longer album released in 1999, Bending New Corners, which includes Siegfried. Truffaz has now moved on to other things, but these two records stand the test of time superbly. Beware of an inferior US release from which Nya was edited out for fear that his slamming would not be to the liking of US jazz audiences.
Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely: Stevie Wonder is known for many things besides his harmonica playing, but to harmonica players he is nonetheless one of the greats. Isn't She Lovely was first released on Songs in the Key of Life, but can also be found on most of his compilations. Stevie released an instrumental album on which he played only harmonica in the 70s, called Alfie. It's under a mangled version of his name Eivets Rednow, and very romantic, but it's also amazing playing.
Which brings the Groove Show to a close. Many thanks to Charlie Hunter's management for allowing me to use Oakland from his commercial release Right Now Move. As always, thanks also to Bill Barrett for providing the jingle to the Rambling Podcast. The piece I've used, Corn on the Cob is from Brother Weasel's Swingin' & Groovin' available here.
As usual, please comment lots! Let's make this more interactive than it is. I take requests as well, assuming I can honour them! I'll be back in January with what will very likely be The Progressive Show, very different from all I've podcasted so far!
And finally, whatever your skin colour, religion, country, age, sex and instrument of preference, all the relevant Seasonal Greetings to you and thanks for reading me !!!
I first heard of Gabriel Grossi on Inspiration : 22 Rare Harmonica Performances where he plays a stunning Rebuliço. Thanks to Leonardo Shikida, I now know more and I've seen him... on Youtube (he starts playing only after 1:14 mn) :
This guy plays latin jazz with a gutso and virtuosity that is not so common. Grossi has a CD out entitled Diz Que Fui Por Aí
The reason I'm speaking about this now is that I've been a little out of touch with Collard's carreer, and recent comments on his amazing performance at the Sydney Harp Festival in early december prompted me to explore again. Apparently, his trio has released a third album (besides the one mentioned here, and the follow-up More Gravy) and is working on a fourth. Besides, Ian has a myspace site under his own name Ian Collard as well as one under the band's name Collard Greens and Gravy. Jump there if you want to hear the Gravy's special brand of raw blues.
Collard Greens & Gravy is a trio (and before you ask, no, Ian Collard's colleagues are not called Greens and Gravy !) Ian is on vocals and harmonica (mostly amplified, but a few acoustic tracks), James Bridges on guitar (and slide guitar) and Anthony Shortte on drums and percussions.
The thing that strikes me about this release is that, unlike a great majority of records issued (in the blues genre or otherwise), it has a genuine feel, an atmosphere that pervades the whole record. In other words, when you play that record, it's very difficult to listen to it analytically. It is a very dark and haunting record, it has a kind of mean edge to it, not unlike some of the eeriest Robert Johnson stuff, although using different tools.
This is the result of an unusual repertoire and unusual arrangements, as well as an obvious work of the sound engineers to get that very special feeling. There's a lot of silence, a lot of notes hanging in the air rather than being smothered by the next note, there's haunting echo, and there's sparse drumming and guitar when needed.
The closest thing I have on record in terms of atmosphere would be low rock bands like Morphine or its harp-enabled ancestor Treat her Right. I don't know if the term low blues has been coined yet, but if not, Ian and his colleagues have maybe brought upon a new genre...
Ian's playing is mature and well mastered, featuring both speed and power when required and gentle somberness on darker tracks. At times, it reminds me a little of Steve Guyger's playing on Past Life although it's not as traditional. Ian uses overblows (especially the minor third on overblow six) to great effect even though it is sometimes slightly out of tune. I hard a hard time working out if that was deliberate or not, since it has a certain unsettling effect that is in fact quite pleasant.
In terms of repertoire, even though there are a few covers here, most of them are of obscure pre-war recordings, apart from St James Infirmary. Nothing you're likely to have heard if your interests don't lie specifically in that direction. Covers and originals alike are fully the band's own though, and have been reinterpreted with great arrangements. It is quite uncanny how low James' guitar sounds in the absence of a bass. Anthony's drumming has a primitive feel to it, as featured on the solo in Out in the desert that sounds positively tribal.
Moments of greatness are aplenty in this record, my personal favourite being the interpretation of Get Right Church, very moody, and featuring a long unaccompanied harp solo of great facture. The aforementioned Out in the Desert is also a nice piece of work, as is the funeral sounding Sick Bed Blues, with Ian singing falsetto and playing chromatic harp.
All in all, Collard Greens and Gravy is undoubtedly one of the most original and enjoyable blues releases I have heard in quite a while. It may not be suited to all tastes, since it has a somber edge and is not the kind of blues that will bring a happy smile to your face. It is more expressive and meaningful than a lot of stuff that gets released these days though. I can only recommend blues fans out there to check out the band's myspace site and purchase the album if you like it. Chances are you will !
Since writing that review, my listening has evolved, and I recognize the filiation with RL Burnside and Junior Kimbrough's raw blues, although I still believe there's a post-rock side to this album that makes it unique. In the harmonica world, Jason Ricci stems from similar roots but approaches the rawness very differently : where Collard Greens and Gravy produces a sparse, haunting sound, Jason approaches rawness in a loud and boisterous way.
Back then, I also reviewed Collard Greens and Gravy's second album which didn't sound quite as exciting to my ears. Here is what I wrote at the time :
Collard Greens and Gravy are a bunch of guys who are reviving blues in the Australian Outback. Figuratively of course. I really loved their debut, self-titled album and I must confess that, despite its evident qualities, a strong drive, a sound as dark and raucous as ever and tasteful musicians, I didn't enjoy More Gravy as much. Not that it's a bad album, far from it! But it doesn't have as much space around the music as the previous one did, and is less intelligently structured: the first eight tracks are fast, rugged amplified pieces and don't let you breathe for a second. Only on track nine (Gonna wait 'til a change come) do you hear an acoustic harp and on the track after that, you can finally relax on a slow tune (a vocal and harp solo bit in the grand tradition of Sonny Boy Williamson 2 and Sugar Blue.) The end of the album is quite different in spirit and atmosphere, and allows the listener a little more breathing space. The final track Goin' home is quite superb and proves if need be that the (small) defects of this album are more due to production issues than they are to the talent and inspiration of the band, which remain intact.
