Arriving just a little over a year after an eponymous live album, High Water I is not only positioned as the first official studio album from the Magpie Salute, but as the initial installment of a two-part album. It's an auspicious beginning for a group led by two Black Crowes guitarists, but the Crowes always showed some measure of ambition, slowly expanding that ambition along with their musical horizons. High Water I doesn't find the Magpie Salute stretching out so much as embracing everything that Rich Robinson and Marc Ford already considered theirs, anchoring themselves on a Southern-fried rock that allows them to indulge in flower-powered country-rock, crunchy blues, back-porch picking, even a bit of funk.
Barrelhouse Chuck's tribute to piano great Sunnyland Slim was one of the last recording sessions by longtime Chicago drummer S.P. Leary and also included Muddy Waters' former rhythm section of Calvin "Fuzz" Jones and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith.
All vibraphonists owe a debt of gratitude to Lionel Hampton for paving the way in traditional and modern jazz, pioneering the instrument as more than in an accompanist role or being heard only in lounges. In his heyday, Teddy Charles was a prime example of taking Hampton's approach to a different level, eventually in hard and post-bop, but here he takes swing era tunes of Hamp's, changing up or editing their melodic structures with a quartet featuring pianist Hank Jones, and a larger ensemble with horn complement.
All vibraphonists owe a debt of gratitude to Lionel Hampton for paving the way in traditional and modern jazz, pioneering the instrument as more than in an accompanist role or being heard only in lounges. In his heyday, Teddy Charles was a prime example of taking Hampton's approach to a different level, eventually in hard and post-bop, but here he takes swing era tunes of Hamp's, changing up or editing their melodic structures with a quartet featuring pianist Hank Jones, and a larger ensemble with horn complement. This album as reissued on CD is known as Salute to Hamp and subtitled "The Vibraphone Players of Bethlehem, Vol. 1" as issued originally on the Bethlehem label, reissued by Avenue Jazz. It showcases Charles, not so much in an evolutionary fashion, but as a complete performer and bandleader. He is a singularly unique jazzman who anyone can appreciate, and is quite able to hold interest of listeners beyond conventional wisdom of what well-worn standards can sound like with just a little inspiration and soul.
In the intimate atmosphere of one of New Orleans's premier jazz clubs, Lulu White's Mahogany Hall on Bourbon Street, the music that set the city on fire: the authentic sounds of Jelly Roll Morton's jazz is performed by the legendary Dukes of Dixieland and Danny Barker, one of Jelly Roll's own musicians. Ferdinand Lamothe aka Jelly Roll Morton was one of the first great composers and piano players of Jazz. He was a talented arranger and musician who wrote special scores that took advantage of the three-minute limitations of the 78 rpm record. Even more than this, he was a real character whose spirit shines brightly through history - like his diamond studded smile
The funny thing about tributes to Eric Clapton is that Clapton has done them himself, and he would be the first to tell you that his career has been built on his attempts to emulate his own blues heroes, and that would be true to a point, but Clapton was wise enough, or maybe, at times, just lucky enough, to show how those players he loved could be translated into the electric age of rock, and he did it with a tremendous amount of raw elegance and style more often than not. This tribute set doesn't stretch things too far, and while cuts here like James Ryan's version of "Badge" and Brian Tarquin's version of "Sunshine of Your Love" are big, boisterous, and fun to hear, they work largely because of the original and defining riffs that Clapton devised to carry these songs in the first place. The real gem of the disc is a live, horn-filled take on "How Blue Can You Get" (listed as one of two "bonus" tracks here) by B.B. King. One imagines it would be the track Clapton would go to first, next, and last. King makes the song his. No one else here does that.
…Omar Faruk’s music is rooted in tradition, but has been influenced by contemporary sounds. He views his approach as “cosmic” and his commitment to music runs deep. The four corners of his creativity emanates mysticism, folklore, romance, and imagination. Like Omar Faruk himself, his music symbolizes diversity-in-unity.