Lucky to Me

Jessye Norman is known as an opera singer. And yet, opera was just one of the genres of music in which Ms. Norman excels. "Lucky to be Me" shows another side of her, a side of her which is equally comfortable as a jazz singer. I love all the songs she sings. I'm a singer myself and I also love the way she interprets the songs in her own special style. Her accompanist is also outstanding and, in spite of the fact that he often doesn't play the melodies of the songs she sings, she holds her own. This is one of my favorite CDs… I probably will play it so often that I'll have to replace it soon. I highly recommend this CD for people who enjoy popular music with an operatic flair.

As the title and cover art suggests, Triple Fret is a player's album. Although Bernard Allison gets star billing (and does all the vocals), this is a trio record, with fellow electric blues guitarists Larry McCray and Carl Weathersby contributing as much guitar firepower as Allison. Even better, second-generation Hammond organ legend Lucky Peterson guests, adding some welcome musical variety to the otherwise fret-heavy selection and getting his own showcase, the smoking seven-minute instrumental workout "Where's Lucky?" That leaves the songwriting as the only weak spot, but unfortunately, it's pretty seriously weak. Most of the songs on Triple Fret are hackneyed Chicago blues riffs with self-referential lyrics about how hard it is to be a bluesman. Tune out the lyrics and the undistinguished chord changes and the sheer enjoyment of the trio's playing comes through. For some, however, that might not be quite enough.

After witnessing the Birmingham leg of The Clash’s White Riot tour in the spring of 1977, Coventry rock band Midnight Circus adopted a more streamlined, urgent sound and a more punk-friendly name. As The Flys, they issued a self-financed five-track EP at the end of the year before signing with EMI on the back of a tour with Buzzcocks.

Call this Peterson's 'back to my roots' blues album, but it finds him in more retro territory than his previous outings. There's a distinctive Albert King-Freddie King-Albert Collins almost-'70s feel to all the music here and the support of roots players like Johnny B. Gayden, Dennis Chambers and Butch Bonner makes this much more of a ensemble effort. Highlights include the storming "You're the One for Me," a great King-like solo on "Tin Pan Alley," an instrumental tribute to Albert Collins on "Pickin'" and oddball covers of the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing" and Prince's "Purple Rain." Peterson is stylistically all over the road on this disc but his versatility on both guitar and keyboards ultimately pays off in the end.

Even more impressive than his previous Alligator set, thanks to top-flight material like "Don't Cloud Up on Me," "Let the Chips Fall Where They May," and "Locked Out of Love," the fine house band at Greenlee's King Snake studios, and Peterson's own rapidly developing attack on two instruments.

Lucky Thompson - Complete Parisian Small Group Sessions 1956-1959 (2017) {4CD Set Fresh Sound FSR-CD933}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.71 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 720 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 996 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956-59, 2017 Fresh Sound Records | FSR-CD 933 | Mono | 24-Bit Digitally Remastered
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Mainstream Jazz / Saxophone

4 CD Box Set including a 36-page booklet with comprehensive essay by Jordi Pujol, complete sessionography, extensive recording details, rare photos and original art covers. Lucky Thompson (1924-2005) had never been accorded the praise he deserved in the United States, despite the fact that in the 40s many prominent critics and musicians considered him the finest tenor-saxophone player to appear in jazz since the emergence of Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young.

Lucky Peterson got his grounding in the blues from his father's friends, and since his father was blues guitarist and singer James Peterson, who also owned the Governor's Inn, a premier blues nightclub in Buffalo, New York, those friends included folks like Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, and Bill Doggett. Peterson had a career as a child prodigy on the Hammond B-3, even scoring an R&B hit with the Willie Dixon-produced "1-2-3-4," the novelty of it all landing him appearances on The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and others, and his debut album appeared in 1969. But it was the blues that claimed Peterson as an adult, by which time he was not only an accomplished piano and organ player, but also a quite competent vocalist and an impressive guitarist with a soaring and emotionally searing style on the instrument. This set finds him placed in a retro Chicago blues setting, with horns added in where appropriate, and Peterson is quite at home here, bringing an exuberant sincerity to the opener, "Proud to Love My Baby," and delivering the title tune, "Traveling Man," with passion and urgency, while bringing a funky groove to "Get on Down," which spotlights his piano playing.

Lucky Peterson is a smooth operator, cool and always in control with a guitar tone reminiscent of the more restrained sides of Roy Buchanan or Carlos Santana. He's capable of lashing out, though, as the livewire showstopper "Don't Cloud Up On Me" ably proves. But this versatile musician is most distinctive with his Hammond organ and Wurlitzer electric piano sound, instruments that he's been playing professionally since the age of five. Check out the heady swirl of instrumental workout "Junk Yard" on this front although comparisons to Billy Preston will be inevitable.

This is Vail Johnson's first solo release, and many fans will recognize him as Kenny G's bassist. Vail Johnson has taken funk to the next level - bringing jazz and rock along with him. What Les Paul did for electric guitar in the 1950's, Vail Johnson is doing for bass guitar today. Very inspired playing with varied influences to add variety and spice.