Recorded live in October 16, 1993 by Max Federhofer at Donaueschinger Musiktage, Germany. Virtuoso saxophonist with his band moving effortlessly between jazz, improvisation, contemporary music and the avante-garde.
This is the stuff guitar heroes are made of. Henderson doles out everything from straight-up rock & roll to slow, nasty blues and twangy country on this album. The quality and clarity of the sound on this recording serve to enhance and complement Henderson's in-you-face guitar style too. The opening track "Hit the Bricks" is fairly weak, and there are a few others that don't necessarily light any fires (the title track and "Love Somebody"), but the rest of the CD smokes. The seven instrumentals include Henderson's favorite Link Wray song "Rawhide," and a twangy, two-part version of Duane Eddy's "Rebel Rouser." The Ventures medley is a true delight (he breaks out the whammy bar a bit). "Brandon's Song" features some double-lead guitar and sounds like something you might hear from Clapton.
Here on this CD we re treated to an excellent example of a "live" Bobby "Blue" Bland concert recorded at Long Beach, California in 1983. Along with Mel Jackson, Bobby's Bandleader/Arranger/trumpet player, one gets to hear some truly amazing guitar work by the legendary guitarist, Wayne Bennett. Mel Jackson and the Orchestra - kick off the show with a funky soulful instrumental "Mels Groove" to warm up the audience and loosen up the musicians before the Dynamic Bobby "Blue" Bland takes to the stage and runs through his 1962 "Ain't That Loving You", and his 1959 "I'll Take Care Of You", (two Duke classics)…
As the title implies, this is very much a swing set. Pianist Dick Hyman (a master of all pre-bop styles) has little difficulty emulating Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum and Count Basie (among others) plus his own style in an octet also featuring trumpeter Joe Wilder, trombonist Urbie Green, altoist-clarinetist Phil Bodner, baritonist Joe Temperley, rhythm guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, bassist Milt Hinton, drummer Butch Miles and (on three tunes) altoist Frank Wess. The opening and closing numbers are ad-lib blues both titled "From the Age of Swing"; sandwiched in between are ten swing-era standards plus a couple of obscure Duke Ellington items. Among the highlights are "Topsy," "Them There Eyes," "Rose Room" and "Mean to Me." No real surprises occur, but mainstream fans should like this swinging set.
When Jimmie Vaughan left the Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1990, the band's old pal Duke Robillard filled the guitar slot. The experience seems to have transformed Robillard, a charter member of Roomful of Blues, from a swinging jump-blues man into a thumping blues rocker. You could hear the early indications on his 1991 solo album, Turn It Around, and his 1992 album with the T-Birds, Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk, but the transformation is complete on Temptation. The singer/guitarist has concentrated his grooves around big, fat snare-drum beats and has given his guitar riffs a thick, dirty sound. He wrote or cowrote 9 of the 11 songs, but none of these originals is likely to join the standard blues repertoire.
Formed by Tokyo acid jazz maven Gonzalez Suzuki, Soul Bossa Trio recorded several albums of refreshing, exploratory jazz with a debt to fusion and Brazilian jazz but a sparkling sense of interplay often lacking in their club-centered contemporaries. Suzuki was originally a member of Tokyo Panorama Mambo Boys, Japanese jazz-pop favorites during the '80s.
When Jimmie Vaughan left the Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1990, the band's old pal Duke Robillard filled the guitar slot. The experience seems to have transformed Robillard, a charter member of Roomful of Blues, from a swinging jump-blues man into a thumping blues rocker. You could hear the early indications on his 1991 solo album, Turn It Around, and his 1992 album with the T-Birds, Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk, but the transformation is complete on Temptation. The singer/guitarist has concentrated his grooves around big, fat snare-drum beats and has given his guitar riffs a thick, dirty sound. He wrote or cowrote 9 of the 11 songs, but none of these originals is likely to join the standard blues repertoire.
Memphis guitarist Preston Shannon's debut as a bandleader, Break the Ice is a showcase not only for the singer/guitarist's considerable talents, but for his influences as well. Heavily influenced by the Kings, Albert and B.B., Shannon puts down a blazing version of the former's "Crosscut Saw," as well as covering two songs by Jimmy McCracklin (the songwriter who gave B.B. "The Thrill Is Gone"). Truly one of the strongest talents on the modern day Memphis blues scene, Shannon and his band do much to transcend their influences and add an original sound on the 12 songs collected here.
Sometimes conviction, charm and humor can be as important as performing proficiency. While there's little in the playing or singing of guitarist Dave Specter or vocalist/harmonica player Tad Robinson that you haven't heard before, they so obviously enjoy what they're doing and communicate it so well that you eventually overlook their familiar material and become engrossed in their performances. This disc has a gritty, rough-edged sound often missing from modern blues dates. The menu ranges from jazzy tunes to lowdown wailers, soul-tinged pieces, and uptempo instrumentals.