Here are a couple more new releases for blues fans to check out. You'll be glad that you did.....there have been a lot of outstanding releases this year and the list of great new albums seems to be picking up with the hot weather approaching.
Last month, John Primer received a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail near his birthplace in Camden, MS. I was hoping to go and hopefully get a chance to meet him, but things didn't work out. Primer has always released quality music over his years as a solo act and he's really been on a roll in recent years, with several fine albums on Blues House Records and a couple of collaborations with Bob Corritore. I've been a fan since I first heard him with Magic Slim and the Teardrops.
Like just about every musician in Chicago between 1955 and 1985, John Primer got his start and played a lot of gigs at the fabled Theresa's Lounge, which was owned and operated by Theresa Needham. Primer has assembled ten of his fellow Theresa veterans - harmonica masters Billy Branch and Harmonica Hinds, vocalists Mary Lane and Willie Buck, bass players Bob Stroger and Jeff Brinkman, drummers Twist Turner and Tony Mangiullo, and fellow guitarists Carlos Johnson and John Watkins for Tribute to Theresa's Lounge (Blue House Productions).
The thirteen songs on the album consist of four Primer originals written for the occasion paying tribute to Ms. Needham and reflecting on his time there and the importance of keeping the blues alive for future generations. The remainder of the songs are tunes that would be easily recognized by those who were a part of the audience on a given night at Theresa's and these tunes will be recognized by most blues fans, too. The performances are all great (all of the musicians are in their 70's, 80's and 90's and are still making vital contributions to the music) and it's a wonderful throwback to the way things used to be in Chicago and the blues world in general. It's hard to imagine a blues fan not wanting to hear this disc. Add this one to your must-hear list.
I used to regularly attend the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in the late 80's and early 90's, but have only attended once since Katrina, in 2015. One of the thrills of going each year was discovering not only the new music being played, but the classic tunes that were part of the city's musical history. Well, folks......The Joe Krown Trio + 1 have recaptured that feeling for me with their latest release, Qualified (Sledgehammer Blues).
I first encountered keyboardist extraordinaire Krown as part of Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson's band on a couple of albums, then several of Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's albums, plus three collaborative efforts with guitarist Walter "Wolfman" Washington and drummer Russell Batiste, Jr. that mixed blues, jazz, and soul in equal measures. For this release, Krown and his trio (Casandra Faulconer - bass, Eric Boliver - drums) are joined by singer/guitarist Papa Mali, hence the "Trio + 1" tag.
Qualified includes eleven tracks, two originals by Papa Mali and one by Krown, plus covers of eight classic Crescent City tunes associated with Allen Toussaint, Professor Longhair, James Booker, and Dr. John that will have fingers snapping, toes tapping, and booties shaking. There's also a special appearance by Cyril Neville who delivers a masterful vocal on a fresh take of Toussaint's "Fortune Teller." Papa Mali does a fine job on vocals throughout and delivers the guitar goods on a couple of other tracks, while Krown and the Trio have a lot of fun playing these tunes. Joe Krown's albums are always a lot of fun, paying tribute to the past while continuing to create new music that carries the traditions onward, and this one is no exception.
Looking back quite a few years for our "Blast from the Past" pick, I highly recommend Alligator Records' second-ever release in 1973, Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell. We previously looked at the life of Big Walter Horton on the blog a little over ten years ago after a tribute album was released. Horton was one of the legends of the harmonica and he made it on our Blues Mount Rushmore list of harmonica players. He was not that well known and never really fronted his own band because he was very shy and quiet, but he backed a host of blues artists like Robert Johnson, Johnny Shines, Homesick James, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Honeyboy Edwards, Otis Rush, and later was a part of Willie Dixon's Blues All Stars, and made an appearance in the first Blues Brothers film during the Maxwell Street scene.
Horton made recordings of his own for Chess Records and Sun Records (leased to Modern/RPM Records) in the late 40's and became one of Chess Records' go-to harp players for various sessions. He also recorded the classic instrumental for Sun Records known as "Easy," and also recorded for Cobra, Jewel, and States Records. His harp can be heard on many Chicago blues classics like Jimmy Rogers' "Walking By Myself," Otis Rush's "I Can't Quit You Baby," and Johnny Shines' "Evening Sun." He also appeared on the Chicago/The Blues/Today series on Vanguard Records before recording this wonderful album with his protege Carey Bell.
By the time, this session was recorded, Bell was not really a protege.....he had already recorded a few times himself. There are eleven tracks here and the two harp masters are backed by the legendary Eddie Taylor on guitar, Joe Harper (who played bass on Bell's albums), and Chicago South Side drummer Frank Swan. Horton and Bell work so well together and to me, it feels like Horton was really inspired on these tracks, both instrumentally and vocally. The interplay with Bell really seems to bring out the best in his performance. In Bruce Iglauer’s book, he tells about Walter’s reluctance to play and how Bell would gently encourage him to play, which really brought him out. Big Walter Horton has always been one of my favorite harmonica players and this album is my favorite of his releases. Thankfully, he was able to record a few more before he passed away in 1981.
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