Cahl's Juke Joint: A rock, blues and jazz blog

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-27-09

2009-11-27T00:12:00.000-05:00

Friday morning jazz:

1) Curtis Amy: "Native Land"
2) Baby Face Willette: "Something Strange"
3) Winard Harper: "Sound for Sore Ears"
4) Vijay Iyer: "Macaca Please"
5) The Rod Levitt Orchestra: "Upper Bay"
6) The Jones Boys: "You Leave Me Breathless"
7) The Modern Jazz Orchestra: "One Never Knows"
8) Hal Galper Quartet: "Another Jones"
9) The Montgomery Brothers: "Just for Now"
10) Al Cohn: "Infinity"

Mahalia Jackson and Nat King Cole: 'Steal Away"

2009-11-27T00:09:00.001-05:00

I'm in Georgia, away from my CD collection, but I've been listening to a fair number of tunes on YouTube because the phone company finally agreed to hook up my father with a DSL collection. Here's an inspiring rendition of "Steal Away" by Mahalia Jackson and Nat King Cole.

Jack Ingram and Patty Griffin: 'Seeing Stars'

2009-11-26T00:07:00.000-05:00

I listened to Jack Ingram's "Live at Billy Bob's," a delightfully twangy romp, three times on my drive to Georgia. He has a tender side, too. Here, he performs "Seeing Stars" with Patty Griffin.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-26-09

2009-11-26T00:04:00.003-05:00

A Thanksgiving mix for all my friends:

1) Duke Ellington: "Thanks for the Beautiful"
2) Jimmy Giuffre: "Feast Dance"
3) The Emotions: "Blessed"
4) Boz Scaggs: "Thanks to You"
5) Haywood Banks: "Thanksgiving"
6) Ruthie Foster: "Thanks for the Joy"
7) James Carr: "To Love Somebody"
8) Jefferson Airplane: "Wild Turkey"
9) Kimmie Rhodes: "Thank You for Another Day"
10) Del McCoury: "I Remember You"

Doomsayers are Clueless

2009-11-25T02:21:00.002-05:00

I spent much of the day traveling, so I didn't see this piece by Glenn Branca in the New York Times that proclaims creative music is dead. Darcy James Argue pointed me to it on his Twitter feed. I almost wish he hadn't.

How many times must be we hear that good new music, particularly jazz, is a thing of the past? Music's not stagnant and it's not dead. You could start with a new album by Argue and His Secret Society, "Infernal Macines." Argue and his group play big band jazz that's informed by everything from Duke Ellington to indie music. The result sounds fresh to me. Or take The Krayolas, who mix Beatles-style harmonies with rock and Latin rhythms. Or, for that matter, listen to about half the bands that played at this year's Austin City Limits music festival; not many of them were playing tunes that sounded like the music I listened to as a kid. The songs were good, too.

So here's my advice to all you clueless naysayers: shut the hell up. You're just not listening.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-25-09

2009-11-25T02:13:00.003-05:00

The daily mix:

1) The National: "Looking for Astronauts"
2) Ron Flynt: "The Sun's Gonna Shine"
3) The Rosebuds: "Birds Make Good Neighbors"
4) Spoon: "Anticipation"
5) Or, The Whale: "Isn't She Awful"
6) Liam Finn: "This Place is Killing Me"
7) The Model Rockets: "She's on the Cover"
8) Mr. Airplane Man: "Travelin'"
9) Roger McGuinn: "You Bowed Down"
10) The Stands: "Outside Your Door"

Jazz Blog Special, Harry James: 'The Jazz Sides'

2009-11-24T14:29:00.004-05:00

I bought my first Harry James album back in the early '70s and have continued to accumulate them ever since, but I never really appreciated the great band leader's virtuosity as a trumpeter until I bought a collection called "The Jazz Sides: 1937-1947" in 2005.

The album includes sidemen such as Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, Herschel Evans, Jess Stacy and Willie Smith. Mostly, though, the 19 tracks They're great, of course. Mostly, though, the 19 tracks are a showcase for James' tone, which blended elegance and sassiness.

The biggest surprise, for me, was "Sleepy Time Gal," which features James in a small group setting. It's a smoky masterpiece. James' trumpet soars on many of the big band tunes. And, as Scott Yanow points out in the liner notes, James even flirts with bebop on his rendition of "Tuxedo Junction."

Here's a clip showcasing "James Session," one of the finest cuts on the album.

The Bar-Kays Perform 'Son of Shaft'

2009-11-24T00:17:00.005-05:00

I was listening to the Wattstax Festival soundtrack tonight and was a little taken aback when I heard The Bar-Kays perform "Son of Shaft/Feel It." I'd forgotten just how funky it was.

I was even more surprised, and delighted, when I found a video version of the performance on YouTube. Yow.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-24-09

2009-11-24T00:02:00.002-05:00

The daily mix:

1) Arthur Russell: "Maybe She"
2) William Elliott Whitmore – Mutiny
3) Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band: "Worn Out Shoe"
4) Albert King: "Blues Power"
5) Johnny Turner: "You're So Fine"
6) Raw Spitt: "Midnight Rider"
7) Howard Tate: "That's What Happens"
8) The Soul Children: "Hearsay"
9) Wilson Pickett: "She's Looking Good"
10) Baby Huey and the Babysitters: "Hard Times"

Blues Blog Special, The Rusty Wright Blues Band, 'Ain't No Good Life'

2009-11-23T01:14:00.005-05:00

The Rusty Wright Band has a song called "I Ain't From Mississippi," but they sure as hell play like it.

The tune, which can be found on the the Michigan-based blues band's "Ain't No Good Life" album, is a searing deep blues with a little Southern rock for flavor. This is rockin' party music featuring Wright's guitar playing, which is downright nasty. His wife, Laurie, shares the vocal duties and plays a pretty mean rhythm guitar herself. Rusty Wright has an earnest voice that makes you want to believe everything he sings. Laurie has the kind of sultry voice that puts you in the mood for love, especially on "Missin' You."

It's been more than 20 years since I lived in Michigan; it looks as if a trip to visit old friends is in order.

(Blues Blog Special is a regular feature that examines older blues albums worth checking out.)

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-23-09

2009-11-23T01:01:00.002-05:00

Monday morning blues:

1) Lightnin' Hopkins: "I'll Be Gone"
2) James Cotton: "Sunny Road"
3) Felipe Cazaux: "Got Love"
4) Studebaker John and the Hawks: "Running Scared"
5) Junior Kimbrough: "Slow Lightning"
6) Omar and The Howlers: "Hurry, Hurry"
7) Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon: "Good Understanding"
8) Muddy Waters: "Got My Mojo Working"
9) Lazy Lester: "Lester's Stomp"
10) Mark Hummel: "Humble Bug"

Southside Johnny & LaBamba's Big Band: 'Grapefruit Moon, The Songs of Tom Waits'

2009-11-22T20:33:00.004-05:00

It seems just about everyone's covered Tom Waits' songs. I like a lot of the new cuts, but I don't think anyone, other than maybe John Hammond on his "Wicked Grin" album, has captured Waits' spirit as well as Southside Johnny did on "Grapefruit Moon."

Waits' songs have always been steeped in jazz, and he's been backed over the years by some of the finest jazz musicians in business. Southside Johnny understands this. More importantly, he understands the larger-than-life characters who peope Waits' songs.

Backed by Richie Rosenberg's LaBamba Big Band, Southside Johnny turns 12 of Waits' tunes into multi-layered epics. Southside Johnny's smooth vocals make him sound like a suave narrator in movie adaption of a Raymond Chandler film. The blaring horns punctuate the excitement, the danger, the loneliness of the characters in the songs.

The instrumentals on "All the Time in the World," in particular, sound as if they were made for a hip detective flick. Southside Johnny and the band slink through "Dead and Lovely." Given the topic of the song, you wonder why anyone would want to play it any other way. Their rendition of "Grapefruit Moon" is soft, sweet and sad. Their version of "Temptation" offers a jazzy chorus to the joys of sin.

The best tune, though, is Southside Johnny's duet with Waits on "Walk Away. Hear for youself:

Federico Conti: 'Organic B3 Groove!'

2009-11-22T09:30:00.005-05:00

I've been listening on lala.com this morning to Federico Conti's "Organic B3 Groove!"

Apparently, Conti's main gig is making remixes and running his own label, but he once studied with organist Shirley Scott and pianist James Williams, and that's a pretty fine jazz pedigree.

"Organic B3 Groove!" is aptly named. Check out these videos:

Leslie Mendelson: 'The Joel Dorn Sessions'

2009-11-22T07:50:00.006-05:00

Joel Dorn's been one of my musical tour guides since I was a teenager. Now, two years after the legendary producer's death, he's still turning me on to great music.

"The Joel Dorn Sessions," an EP of songs on which singer Leslie Mendelson collaborated with Dorn, is as smooth as the 18-year-old Scotch I drank last night.

The album's cover of The Rolling Stones' "Waiting on a Friend" sounds like a Rickie Lee Jones arrangement, but Mendelson's voice is rounder, softer. Mendelson glides through The Ronettes' "Be My Baby" — her rendition sounds like a lullaby. The original tunes on the album are lovely, too.

Thanks, Mr. Dorn.

Harrison Kennedy: 'One Dog Barkin''

2009-11-22T00:09:00.002-05:00

In the late '60s and early '70s Harrison Kennedy helped lead the R&B group Chairmen of the Board to the top of the charts with his golden voice. These days Kennedy's singing the blues, but on his new album, "One Dog Barkin'," you can still tell he was once one of the best soul crooners in the business.

In fact, if you took away a few blues licks, "Leading Lady," "What About Forgiving" and "I Can Feel You Leaving" would be classic soul burners. But most of all, "One Dog Barkin'" is an excellent blues album filled with some fine slide guitar licks and gritty vocals.

Highlights include "Healing Power of the Blues," "Ode to Huddie" and "Motor City."

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-21-09

2009-11-22T00:06:00.000-05:00

The daily mix:

1) The Orange Peels: "The Great Outdoors"
2) The Brilliant Mistakes: "What Will They Write on Your Stone"
3) XTC: "King for a Day"
4) Sleepy Jackson: "Vampire Racecourse"
5) Camera Obscura: "Honey in the Sun"
6) The Scotland Yard: "The World Has No Plans for Me"
7) Graham Day and the Gaolers: "Something About You Girl"
8) Brothers and Sisters: "The Trees are Bare"
9) The Heavenly States: "Pretty Life"
10) Honeydogs: "Rumor Has It"

Papercuts: 'Can't Go Back'

2009-11-21T23:04:00.006-05:00

I guess I need to talk about music with my hipper students more often because I'd never heard of Papercuts, an indie rock band from San Francisco, until a few weeks ago.

I've listened to a few tracks from the group's latest album, "You Can Have What You Want," and they're great. I'm stone in love, though, with the dreamy jangle of "Dear Employee," "Unavailable" and "The World I Love" from Papercuts' "Can't Go Back," an album released in 2007. I dig "Outside Looking In," too, especially the twangy guitar riffs that sneak into the ethereal mix.

Here's hoping Papercuts will perform at Austin City Limits next year.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-21-09

2009-11-21T00:01:00.002-05:00

Saturday morning jazz:

1) Ted Nash: "Still Evolved"
2) Enrico Pieranunzi: "K3"
3) Pete La Roca: "Basra"
4) Louis Smith: "Brill's Blues"
5) David "Fathead" Newman: "As Time Goes By"
6) Richie Cole and Art Pepper: "Things We Did Last Summer"
7) Harold Land: "Chocolate Mess"
8) The Herbie Nichols Project: "Shuffle Montgomery"
9) Horace Silver Trio: "How About You"
10) Jaleel Shaw: "The Flipside"

Guy Clark on KUT

2009-11-20T23:28:00.001-05:00

Guy Clark will be live at 11:30 a.m. Saturday on Austin's KUT radio.

Christmas is Comin'...

2009-11-20T01:49:00.002-05:00

A copy of Kent Records' collection of Mary Love's soul tunes called "Then and Now" is at the top of my Christmas wish list.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-20-09

2009-11-20T00:06:00.002-05:00

Friday morning soul:

1) Barbara and the Browns: "If I Can't Run to You I'll Crawl"
2) Curtis Mayfield: "The Makings of You"
3) Renaldo Domino: "Let Me Come Within"
4) Sam and Dave: "You Don't Know What You Mean to Me"
5) Kim Weston: "Lift Every Voice and Sing"
6) Jeff Floyd: "Planning My Weekend"
7) Geater Davis: "A Sad Shade of Blue"
8) Garland Green: "Angel Baby"
9) Etta James: "Seven Day Fool"
10) Barbara Lynn: "Lonely Heartache"

E.G. Kight: 'It's Hot in Here'

2009-11-19T20:06:00.004-05:00

Blueswoman E.G. Kight steams up just about every song she records. That's certainly true on her latest album, "It's Hot in Here," which was released last year.

The funky title track and "I Want You Just Cause I Want You" might make you break out in a cold sweat. Kight lets the hook set in your heart on "Southern Woman And A Nawthern Man," a slow-rollin' blues duet with Sean Farley, before she yanks it out.

Kight's version of "House of the Rising Sun" is mighty seductive, too; her sweet voice floats on top of the thick organ licks when she sings the lyrics.

I'll be traveling through Dalton, GA, next week, but I'll miss her concert there by a few days. No matter: She lives just down the road from my parents in Georgia. I'll be planning my summer visit around one of her shows.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-19-09

2009-11-19T19:35:00.002-05:00

The daily mix:

1) Buddy Miles: "Down By the River"
2) Chuck Wills: "It's Too Late Baby"
3) Johnny "Guitar" Watson: "Feel the Spirit of My Guitar"
4) Mickey Baker: "You Better Heed My Warning"
5) Alvin Draper: "Skippin' Blues"
6) Skyla Burrell Blues Band: "Low Down Dirty Game"
7) Alberta Adams: "We Ain't Makin' Honey"
8) John Lee Hooker Jr.: "Dimples"
9) Don Bryant: "Doin' the Mustang"
10) Big Maybelle: "I've Got a Feeling"

Biréli Lagrène: 'Gipsy Trio'

2009-11-18T07:21:00.005-05:00

I don't know what Django Reinhardt would have sounded like if he'd covered The Beatles, but I have a pretty good idea after hearing Biréli Lagrène's cover of "Something."

Lagrène's version, found on his new album, "Gipsy Trio," starts almost as if he's playing it from a Beatles record. Though Lagrène never abandons the basic melody, he soon turns the song into a string-bending gypsy love chant that both woos and moves listeners. George Harrison would have loved it.

Lagrène's take on "Singin' in the Rain" is wonderful, too. His guitar work is as nimble and charming as Gene Kelly's dance steps. The trio — which also includes bassist Diego Imbert and guitarist Hono Winterstein — sounds both playful and wistful on its renditions of the jazz standards "Lullaby Of Birdland" and "Poinciana."

The album's version of "Limehouse Blues" embodies the spirits of both Reinhardt and Louis Armstrong. Lagrène shifts to seduction mode for "Be My Love," a tune that features opera singer Roberto Alagna. On "Made in France," Lagrène's own composition, his hands fly in a lovely display of virtuosity.

Amazingly, Lagrène attacks Reinhardt's "Micro" even more aggressively. It's a fitting tribute to Reinhardt by a former child prodigy who's developed his own style and become one of the great jazz guitarists in the world himself.

Cahl's jukebox, 11-18-09

2009-11-18T00:01:00.001-05:00

The daily mix:

1) Guided By Voices: "Gonna Never Have to Die"
2) The Flamin' Groovies: "I'll Cry Alone"
3) Dick Dale: "King of the Surf Guitar"
4) Delaney and Bonnie: "Livin' on the Open Road"
5) J. Geils Band: "First I Look at the Purse"
6) Mary Weiss: "You're Never Gonna See Me Cry"
7) Paul Thorn: "All About the People"
8) Little Feat: "Spanish Moon"
9) Neil Young: "Cinnamon Girl"
10) Roxy Music: "Just Another High"