Clarence Bass

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's tough-minded approach to the blues, country, Cajun, and jazz insures a minimum of nonsense and a maximum of variety, while his virtuosity on the guitar and fiddle insures the highest standards. Nonetheless, Brown's 1997 album is a landmark for the 73-year-old picker who won a Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award. All 13 tunes on Gate Swings find Brown working with his regular road quartet plus a 13-piece horn section, enabling him to prove that Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Lionel Hampton have been as important to his music as any bluesman or Creole fiddler. Gate Swings includes tunes by all three of those big-band leaders as well as compositions by Buddy Johnson, Percy Mayfield, Louis Jordan, and Brown himself, and they all swing with the massive force that only a big horn section can muster. Brown has leaned in this direction before, but Gate Swings is special, because it features the horn arrangements of Wardell Quezergue, an alumnus of the Dave Bartholomew band who arranged many of the best New Orleans R&B hits in the '60s and '70s.

Clarence Penn has been one of the most dynamic drummers in jazz since his New York City arrival 33 years ago. His work with Wynton Marsalis, Betty Carter, Diane Reeves and Michael Brecker has been extensively documented, as have his own musical explorations, including 2014's Monk: The Lost Files. Behind the Voice goes a whole new direction as Penn unfurls inventive reimaginings of the works of influential drummers behind some of the greatest pop music created. Songs by Phil Collins, Levon Helm, Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel and Dave Grohl receive expansive modern treatments through Penn's production along with a bevy of collaborators, including vocalists Kurt Elling, Aaron Marcellus and Toku, guitarists Adam Rogers and Gilad Hekselman, and many more. "…a celebration of their artistry, their passion, and their indelible mark on the music we cherish."

Max Ionata, Clarence Penn, Reuben Rogers - Kind of Trio (2011) {Jando Music WJ 074}
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© 2011 Jando Music / Millesuone | WJ 074
Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone / Bass / Drums

A trio of great affection, already experienced in the past with another successful record job, this time Max Ionata, Clarence Penn and Reuben Rogers are working on an original record project using the formula of the trio.

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Gate Walks to Board: 1947-1960 Aladdin & Peacock Sides (2015) {Hoodoo Records 263524}
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© 1947-60, 2015 Hoodoo Records | 263524
Blues / Rhythm & Blues / Electric Blues / Texas Blues

This special collector's edition contains 29 remastered recordings by Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, consisting of a selection of the magnicent early sides released between 1947 and 1960 on the Peacock and Aladdin record labels. Several of his most famous songs and enduring singles are featured on this quintessential CD, including “Dirty Work at the Crossroads,” “Midnight Hour,” “Just Before Dawn,” and “Okie Dokie Stomp,” among others. It is truly an indispensable set for any blues and R&B devotee.

A strong modern mainstream set, animated by Clarence Penn's powerful drumming and leadership. Trumpeter John Swana and tenor saxophonist Ron Blake make up the front line, with bassist Rodney Whitaker and the promising guitarist Jesse Van Ruller completing the rhythm section. There's an emphasis on original music by the band: Penn contributes three tunes, and Whitaker, Swana, and Blake each offer one. But the band opens with Thelonious Monk's minor-key swinger "Teo" and also plays a beautiful "You Must Believe in Spring."

This soundtrack to the movie features an astonishing array of blues artists from three generations. Recorded during one long night at NYC's Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 7, 2003, the electricity is in the air and on stage. While it may not have been the finest blues show in history, the collection of founding fathers such as David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Buddy Guy, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Larry Johnson, Hubert Sumlin, Solomon Burke, and the ubiquitous B.B. King along with their spiritual offspring (Gregg Allman, John Fogerty, and Steven Tyler) and some usual suspects like Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, and Keb' Mo', makes it arguably the most significant blues session ever captured on film. Beginning acoustic, the double disc builds momentum and volume as we hear the blues mutate to electric and finally hip-hop with Chuck D. exploding on a rap version of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom".